When We Met and Fell in Love On The Dawn Treader
by StrikeMoonstone9387
Summary: Lucy and Edmund return to Narnia, this time with their cousin Eustace where they reunite with Prince Caspian, now King. They are also joined by a young woman, Aura, and her daughter Zahra, for the trip across the sea - their Voyage on the Dawn Treader. (Extended Summary Inside)
1. Prologue

Extended Summary

Lucy and Edmund return to Narnia, this time with their cousin Eustace where they reunite with Prince Caspian, now King. They are also joined by a young woman, Aura, and her daughter Zahra, for the trip across the sea - their Voyage on the Dawn Treader.

The last thing Aurelia Braddock expected when attending a wedding was to get pulled into a magical land she'd only heard about in stories. Joining her on the sudden trip is her 14-month-old daughter, Zahra. On board the Dawn Treader, Aura meets the handsome and charismatic King, Caspian X, who is searching for the lost Lords of Telmar. Along the way, they encounter sea monsters, dragons, and a band of lost warriors. They face and beat their own temptations while making deep friendships before finally reaching the edge of the world.  
What happens when they meet Aura's best friend on the Lone Islands and a secret that Aura kept about her past is revealed? How will Caspian, who has begun to have feelings for the beautiful woman, react to the deep-seated sorrow that lay in her heart? Can Aura learn to move on from her past? Can she give love a chance with Caspian? What will happen when they have to say goodbye on the shores of Aslan's Country?  
Only Time Will Tell.

Prologue

Out among the rolling hills of the British countryside, the sun shone brightly down on the occupants of a stately estate. The occupants were all dressed in extravagant finery, present to attend the wedding of Maya Braddock and Raj Patel. Among the group was the bride's sister, currently serving tea to the wedding guests mingling amongst each other while the bride and groom circled the lawn and greeted the guests as a married couple.

Now, nothing about this woman of European descent was overly special that she would be considered important by any stretch of the imagination. Granted, she was breathtakingly beautiful, with a bright smile for everyone. She was a hard worker, striving to make a good life for her baby daughter, and she was incredibly strong-willed, surviving and pushing through experiences that would shatter most others. However, she was soon going to learn that she played a key role in the fate of a magical land.

How would she discover this, you may ask?

Through a painting in her bedroom on the top floor of this very estate that she had never noticed before.


	2. A Mysterious Painting

**A Mysterious Painting**

Aurelia 'Aura' Yasmine Braddock, a 21-year-old woman of European descent with her Persian roots more prominent on her fair features, stood at a delicate 4'9 with an athletic hourglass figure, moving with the grace of a dancer and nimble from a lifetime of gymnastics and acrobatics. She had thick lightly curled thigh-length golden blonde hair, silver grey almond-shaped eyes framed by thick golden lashes, lightly arched golden eyebrows, milk-white porcelain skin with a spattering of freckles along her high rosy cheekbones, a diamond-shaped face, a small button nose and full cupid-bow reddish pink lips.

The beautiful bridesmaid was currently dressed in a white lehenga saree and a matching thin strapped sleeveless blouse, with the drape pleated and pinned to her left shoulder, red beadwork and thread beautifully embroidered along the skirt, blouse and drape*. Her long golden hair was pulled into a half-up, half-down hairstyle, with the top half tied back in an elaborate bun, a few curled tendrils intentionally left loose to hang from the rolls behind her head, and the lower half was left open down to her thighs in her natural wide curls*. There were several small red ruby flower shaped stick pins* embedded in the bun, giving her luscious hair a dazzling sparkle. On her face, directly between her eyebrows, was a beautiful long red and white crystal bindi*. She wore a red and white pearl, ruby and diamond jewelry set laid in silver consisting of a necklace, earrings and a headpiece* that rested on her head against the center of her forehead, between the parting of her hair. A stack of red and silver bangles* tinkled musically on each of her wrists while adorning her feet and both sides of her hands were intricately patterned and beautiful dark maroon henna tattoos, dying her nails the same maroon color*. Around her ankles were a pair of antique styled belled silver and ruby anklets*, and a pair of 6" high heeled open-toed white sandals with red crystals embellishments* - the straps of the sandals being covered by the anklets.

"Aura! Come on, let's dance!" Mathew Whitehall called with a cultured British accent as he came up to the stunning blonde.

British born and raised 23-year-old Mathew stood at 6'1 with dark chestnut brown - black hair, bright blue eyes, aristocratic looking eyebrows and a chiseled face. He was nicely muscled, not overly so but enough to send many women dry-mouthed at the sight of his washboard abs when he didn't wear a shirt. Like Aura, he was very athletic from a lifetime of sports and physical activity, also being an expert swordsman and horse - back rider despite it being the 21st Century. He was Aura's best friend, regardless of the 2-year age difference, and was her daughter's godfather as well as her paternal uncle. He was very protective of Aura and her daughter Zahra, feeling a measure of responsibility for the circumstances that left Aura a single mother. There was also the fact that what Aura had gone through in order to give birth to Zahra left a lasting impression on the man, increasing his protective nature ten-fold.

The groomsman was wearing a red high-collared long-sleeved sherwani with silver buttons, white slim-fit trousers that bunched at his ankles and white flat shoes with silver embroidery*. His short dark hair was combed neatly and parted on one side, curling behind his ears and at the nape of his neck.

"Mathew, I'm a little busy at the moment." Aura chided gently with a mixed European accent, gesturing to the serving tray she had in her hands. "Why don't you dance with Zahra? She loves it when you dance with her."

"Well, if I can't dance with the mother, I might as well dance with the daughter." Mathew said with a grin, kissing her cheek and running off to find the inquisitive 14-month-old.

Aura shook her head and laughed, turning to a group of six elderly women who were seated comfortable beneath the shade of an open gazebo.

"My dear Aura, tell me why you have not moved your friendship with young Mathew to one of marriage?" One of the elderly women asked inquisitively, not trying to be nosy but rather genuinely curious.

"Indeed, he is a good man. And he loves you and sweet Zahra dearly." Another woman said in agreement.

"Mathew is my best friend." Aura replied with a gentle smile, kneeling slightly so that she could serve them their tea. As she handed the cups to each of the women, she continued, "His love for me, and mine for him, is that of best friends only. We have gotten to a point that trying to further our friendship into something more would destroy the precious relationship we do share. And neither of us wish for that to occur."

"That is true." The first woman said sagely, nodding. "He is very handsome though."

The comment sent the women into a fit of giggles, including Aura.

"Mrs. Maverick, you are married." Aura reminded the elderly woman with a gentle laugh.

"Oh, pish." The elderly woman, Mrs. Maverick said, waving her hand dismissively at the reminder. "I may love my Angelo with all my heart, indeed there is no other for me, I am not blind. I do enjoy a fine specimen when I see one."

Aura started laughing once more as the other women she was serving voiced their agreement to Mrs. Maverick's comment.

"Auntie Aura! Auntie Aura!" A young voice called loudly, running up to her and miraculously managing to avoid a waiter who was passing by with a tray of food for the buffet table.

"Yes Layla?" Aura said, turning to look at the 6-year-old who skidded to a stop in front of her.

"Zahra's fussy. Uncle Mathew said she needs 'Mummy's Magic'." Layla replied, looking up at the older woman with a bright grin.

"All right. She's probably either hungry or needs a change." Aura replied with a sigh. She handed the now empty serving tray to Layla who took it and held it carefully with both hands. "Take this back to the kitchens please and let Mrs. Briganza know where I am." Layla nodded and turned around, running off once more. "And be careful!"

"She took off, Aura." Mrs. Williams informed the blonde with a laugh.

"I noticed." Aura replied exasperatedly.

She waved at the women and turned, walking towards the dance floor that was set up a few feet away, moving expertly through the crowd of dancing bodies and searching for her best friend and daughter.

"It's amazing how far she's come in such a short time." Mrs. Maverick commented, watching as Aura located Mathew and made her way to him through the crowd.

"Indeed." Mrs. Peters said with a nod, watching Aura as well. "Despite the pain and the struggles, she has pulled through and now raises that sweet girl while still working full time. She hasn't even considered using her considerable inheritance to support herself. Doubled though it is."

"I still can't believe she forgave Andrew for what he did." Mrs. Myers said, shaking her head. "The entire Whitehall family had been ready to cut him off from the family fortune completely, even from the inheritance, but she refused to let it happen. Though the family still hasn't forgiven him."

"She may have forgiven him, but she hasn't been able to move on." Mrs. Patel said quietly, sipping her tea.

"I pray that she will be able to move on from what she had been through, and one day find the love she deserves." Mrs. Edwards said softly, receiving nods of agreement from the other women.

Aura, unaware that she was the topic of discussion among the elderly women, found Mathew and Zahra at one end of the dance floor. Mathew was managing to successfully keep Zahra occupied though it was clear it wasn't going to last long.

"Aura! Thank Gods you're here." Mathew said with a relieved sigh, moving off the dance floor entirely and eagerly handing the baby over to her mother. "She's getting way too fussy for me to handle."

Aura laughed and took her daughter, holding the beautiful baby against her hip. Zahra, who had begun to get fussy once more when she saw her mother, immediately settled down the moment she was in Aura's arms.

14-month-old Zahra Malika Braddock looked identical to her mother except for the dark chestnut brown-black hair that she got from her father, though the large curls they formed came from her mother. She had the same almond-shaped silver grey eyes framed by thick dark eyelashes, lightly arched dark eyebrows, milk-white porcelain skin with a light spattering of freckles on her chubby rose tinted cheeks, a small button nose and full reddish pink cupid bow lips that seemed to form an almost permanent pout. She was an incredibly inquisitive and mischievous child, always eager to explore her surroundings. With her almost permanent pout, she had most of her family wrapped around her tiny little fingers – except, of course, for her mother. She had begun walking, albeit somewhat shakily, 3 months earlier and was constantly getting into things she wasn't supposed to, much to her mothers' dismay. She also now had two coherent words in her vocabulary – 'wow' and 'uh-oh' – though she was rapidly picking up new words that she was being taught, again much to her mother's chagrin since those that were teaching Zahra the new words didn't have the best verbal filters.

The beautiful flower girl was dressed in a white knee-length thick spaghetti strapped flared dress with red crystals sewn into the fabric, tightly packed at the bodice before scattering sporadically along the flared skirt*, with a pair of silver belled anklets* adorning her tiny ankles and a pair of white shoes on her feet. She wore a white headband embellished with red crystals that held her shoulder-blade length dark brown curls back, away from her face. In her ears, she wore a pair of small white diamond earring studs, the gems gifted by Aura's parents when Zahra was born.

"Wow." Zahra said, reaching up and playing with her mother's earrings, tugging them and earning a wince from the blonde woman.

"Okay, baby. Let's go get you fed." Aura said, wincing when Zahra tugged on her earring a little too hard. "And maybe find something shiny for you to play with that isn't attached to anyone's ears."

"Wow." Zahra said in response, giving a toothy smile to her mother, revealing her four razor-sharp teeth, two at the top and two at the bottom.

Mathew grinned at the pair, kissing each of their cheeks before turning around and disappearing into the dancing crowd once more. Aura smiled at Zahra and made her away around the dancefloor and inside the stately estate, smiling and waving at the guests as she passed them.

She made her way into her room and grabbed Zahra's large leather diaper bag* from the floor, putting it on the bed beside her. She settled on the bed, leaning back against the headboard and proceeded to nurse her daughter, resting her head back and closing her eyes, drifting off into a doze.

Her eyes snapped open almost an hour later when Zahra was finished nursing and began fussing once more.

"Hey, baby. You finished eating?" Aura cooed to her daughter, burping her before gently resting the baby on the bed and fixing her saree blouse and drape back into its proper place. She then checked Zahra's diaper, and made a face at the baby. "You need a change, missy."

Zahra giggled, listening to her mother talk in a baby voice while quickly changing the dirty diaper, popping into the en-suite bathroom to toss the garbage out before going back to the bed and fixing the baby's dress.

"There you go, my Flower Queen. All ready." Aura said, standing by the bed and pulling the baby into a standing position while holding the tiny fists, kissing her chubby cheeks.

"Wow." Zahra said, looking at the wall.

Holding Zahra in a standing position on the bed with one hand, Aura reached out and grabbed the diaper bag with the other, slinging it across her chest. She would take it downstairs with her and leave it in the parlor so she wouldn't have to come upstairs whenever she needed it.

"What's wow, baby?" Aura asked, adjusting the bag so it rested comfortably against her hip and turning to look in the direction her daughter was looking at.

Aura frowned thoughtfully when she caught sight of the painting that was hanging above her dresser chest. It was a beautiful sea-scape painting, with rolling waves and a ship in the far distance.

"Funny, I never noticed the painting before." Aura muttered, picking Zahra up and holding the baby against her hip, the other side from the diaper bag.

She walked up to the painting, looking at it closely and examining the details. The waves were painted in various shades of blue and from what little could be seen of the ship, it seemed to be made with varying shades of reds and greens with gold interspersed among the two colors, a large purple flag hanging down from the mast with a golden emblem on it. She had to admit that it was very beautiful, created to look remarkably realistic.

"It looks as though the water's actually moving." Aura whispered, reaching out to touch the painting.

She bit back a gasp and drew her hand back before touching the painting, her eyes widening when she saw the water actually move. The painted waves began rolling for real, the ship sailing strong as the waves crashed against it, the water spraying the sides.

"What the-?" Aura muttered in fear when the water from the painting sprayed her.

She stepped back in alarm, tightening her hold on Zahra who began crying in fear. Aura watched in surprise and fascination as water poured out of the painting and into the room. The water level rose rapidly, filling up the room and soaking the two of them.

She screamed as she lost her footing, becoming submerged beneath the water, holding a crying Zahra with one hand while propelling herself upwards with her other arm and her legs. She reached the surface and took a deep breath, holding Zahra above the water as the items in her room floated around her. She held her breath as a wave crashed over her, sending her back beneath the surface, barely managing to keep Zahra from going under as well. She absently noticed that the water seemed darker and the items that had been floating around where gone.

She kicked her legs as hard as she could within the confines of her dress, emerging at the surface in the middle of what seemed to be an ocean.

 _Links (pinterest):_

 _*Aura saree (white with red beadwork and embroidery) - .ca/pin/294000681899037505/_

 _*Aura hairstyle – .ca/pin/474566879470293660/_

 _*Aura ruby flower hair stick pins - .ca/pin/371898881721643071/_

 _*Aura bindi - .ca/pin/474566879478970297/_

 _*Aura jewelry - .ca/pin/581034789395870290/_

 _*Aura bangles - .ca/pin/474566879479510315/_

 _*Aura henna - .ca/pin/470344754819172034/_

 _*Aura anklets - .ca/pin/474566879476892731/_

 _*Aura sandals (white with red crystals) - .ca/pin/474566879475940270/_

 _*Mathew sherwani (red top) – .ca/pin/467178161335025260/_

 _*Zahra dress (white with red crystals) - .ca/pin/474566879469711901/_

 _*Zahra anklets - .ca/pin/474566879470279260/_

 _*Zahra's diaper bag - .ca/pin/211176670005882182/_


	3. Entering Narnia

**Entering Narnia**

Aura took a breath of the sea air and saw a young girl and two boys appear beside her from beneath the surface of the water as well.

"You have got to be joking!" Aura managed to exclaim in surprise.

"What's happening?!" One of the boys asked frantically, completely freaked out while the other boy and the girl seemed to find their situation quite ordinary.

"Do either of you know where we are?" Aura asked the pair who were remarkably calm, noticing that they shared several features indicating the likelihood of them being related in some way.

"Um, who are you?" The dark haired boy asked, looking at Aura.

"I'm Aurelia, Dr. Aurelia Braddock, but you can call me Aura." Aura replied, kicking frantically to keep afloat with Zahra holding on tightly. Thankfully, the baby had stopped screaming. "And the baby is my daughter Zahra."

"I'm Edmund." The dark haired boy said. "That's my sister, Lucy and the hysterical boy is my cousin Eustace."

"Hi." Lucy said, waving for a second before going back to doggy paddling in the deep water in an effort to stay above the surface.

"Nice to meet you." Aura said, kicking her legs frantically to try and stay afloat with the added weight of the baby and her bag along with the confines of her saree.

"I can take the baby." Edmund said to Aura, seeing the woman struggling to stay above the surface.

"Can you swim with a baby?" Aura asked skeptically, barely managing to take a breath before she went beneath the surface.

She kicked fiercely and emerged once more, Zahra once again screaming in fright.

"Yes, I can." Edmund said.

Aura looked at him for a moment, taking in the almost regal look in the boy's eyes despite his apparent young age.

"Okay." Aura said, handing the baby over. Zahra immediately calmed down now that she was certain she was in the arms of someone who could support her. "But fair warning, anything happens to her and I will hunt you down to the furthest corners of the Universe and cut you into tiny, tiny little pieces and feed you to piranhas. Is that understood?"

Aura looked at the boy holding her baby with a fierce expression on her face, her struggle to stay afloat not hindering her expression or lightening the power behind her threat.

"Understood." Edmund squeaked, his eyes wide at the threat. He knew almost instinctively that the woman was very serious about her threat. She wouldn't hesitate to carry it out, even if she had to find a way to come back from the dead to do so.

A horn sounded and Aura turned, seeing the ship from the painting sailing towards them.

"Good. Now swim!" Aura shrieked, swimming as fast as she could away from the approaching vessel.

"Eustace, swim!" Lucy shouted to a frantic Eustace.

Desperate to get out of the way of the approaching vessel, Eustace, Lucy and Edmund, with Zahra in his arms, swam in one direction while Aura ended up swimming in the opposite direction. Edmund swam backwards, keeping Zahra's back flush against his chest and holding her firmly with one arm while propelling himself with the other arm and with his legs in powerful strokes.

Aura, not needing to worry about her daughter, propelled herself through the water with powerful strokes of her arms and legs, her bag bumping against her hip with every movement she made.

"What's going on?" Eustace screamed in terror.

"Just keep swimming!" Lucy yelled back in lieu of giving an actual answer.

"Move! Move!" Edmund yelled.

Lucy, not the strong swimmer she had been when she was older, began losing her momentum and slipped beneath the water's surface more and more frequently. Eustace, too terrified and freaked out by what was happening to focus on his movements, quickly lost the little momentum he did have and fell beneath the surface more and more. Edmund, despite his own growing weariness, refused to let himself slip for the sake of the precious bundle he was holding in his arms. He hoped they could get out of the water soon, his growing worry for the baby he was holding overtaking any other feelings he may have had.

Thankfully, the people in the water hadn't gone unnoticed by the vessel's crew, who were quick to send divers overboard to rescue the castaways.

"It's all right. I've got you." A male voice said to Lucy, grabbing hold of her waist and gripping her firmly.

Lucy whipped her head around at the familiar voice and gasped in delight.

"Caspian!" Lucy exclaimed, wrapping her arms around the stronger male's neck and holding tightly.

"Lucy." Caspian said, a delighted smile crossing his face at the sight of the Valiant Queen.

"Edmund, it's Caspian!" Lucy called to her brother.

"It's all right, boys." A crew member called to the two boys. "You're safe now."

"Are we in Narnia?" Edmund asked, swimming towards the crew member with Zahra in his arms.

"Yes, you're in Narnia." The same crew member replied with a laugh.

"I don't want to go!" Eustace cried hysterically, frantically swimming away from his rescuer's strong arms. "I want to go back to England! I'm going back to England!"

"Hold on." Caspian told Lucy once the two of them were standing on a board lift.

Lucy giggled in delight as they were lifted up out of the water and pulled towards the ship. They stepped onto the deck and the lift was sent back into the water for Edmund, Zahra, Eustace and their rescuers.

"That was thrilling!" Lucy said with a bright smile, accepting the towel from a crew member and wrapping it around herself.

"How in the world did you end up here?" Caspian asked her with a grin, accepting the towel that was handed to him and wiping his face.

"I have no idea." Lucy admitted as Caspian gave her a tight one-armed hug.

"Caspian!" Edmund called, causing the young King to turn around and hurry to the younger King.

"Edmund." Caspian said with an excited laugh, wrapping the towel around the Just King. He looked at the smiling baby in the younger man's arms and asked curiously, "Who's the baby?"

"Oh, Aslan! Aura! She's still in the water!" Edmund exclaimed, his eyes going wide as he ran to the other side of the ship deck, everyone else following, and looking down where he had seen the blonde woman swim to.

"Aura!" Lucy yelled down to the woman who was still in the water.

"Finally remembered me, did you?!" Aura yelled back up at them, irritation clear in her voice.

Before Aura could say anything else, she disappeared beneath the water as a wave crashed over her. She emerged spluttering, kicking her legs frantically.

"Aura, just hold on!" Lucy yelled.

Zahra, seeing and hearing everyone around her shout, began shouting loudly and incoherently as well. Not fearful or scared, only doing what she was seeing everyone else do. She firmly believed that the people that saved her would save her mother.

"I'll get her." Caspian said, diving back into the water without waiting for a response.

"Keep kicking!" Edmund yelled.

"What do you think I am doing?" Aura yelled back. "Yoga?!"

"Okay, dumb thing to say." Edmund muttered.

"You think?" Lucy asked, looking at him with an exasperated expression.

Aura gasped when she felt strong arms wrap around her bare waist and whipped around to look at the man holding her. Her eyes widened minutely when she saw the handsome man holding her, the dark hair, the equally dark eyes and the neat stubble beard shadowing his jaw.

"It's okay. I've got you." Caspian said with a reassuring smile. "I won't let you go."

Caspian was captivated by the blonde in his arms. Even though she was mostly submerged in the water, he could see that she was very beautiful, her golden hair tied back in a fancy style with jewels and the large eyes that seemed to gaze directly into his soul.

"Thank you." Aura said, holding him tightly.

He guided her to the board lift and helped her stand on it before standing beside her.

"Hold tight." He said with a grin.

"Woohoo!" Aura shrieked in delight as they were lifted into the air and pulled towards the ship.

"Thank Aslan you're okay." Lucy breathed, running towards Aura and Caspian, helping the older woman off the board and onto the deck.

"That was so awesome!" Aura exclaimed with a breathtaking smile on her face.

She dropped her bag on the floor by the inner side of the hull and wrung out her long golden hair, the hairstyle still remaining intact with the flower pins and the jewelry. Hairspray was a miracle worker.

"Wow." Zahra said with a grin, wriggling in Edmund's arms.

"Wow." Edmund breathed, putting Zahra down and looking at Aura properly, seeing the way she was attired – the lehenga saree that revealed her arms, her stomach and almost her entire back, the jewelry, the fancy hairstyle and the intricately painted hands.

A similar expression was on the faces of the rest of the men, though Caspian was looking at Aura like he had never seen a woman before.

"What?" Aura asked with a frown, seeing the slack-jawed expressions on their faces. She followed their gazes and looked down at her dress for a moment before looking back at the men. "I was at my sister's wedding."

"Well, you look beautiful." Lucy said earnestly, a spark of wistfulness in her heart at the beauty of the woman before her.

"Wow." Zahra said, toddling to Aura and tugging on her skirt.

"Thank you." Aura said to Lucy with a smile, bending down and picking Zahra up before straightening once more.

"Are you okay?" Edmund asked, shaking off his amazement at her attire and concern taking over.

"Yeah, I'm all right." Aura replied with a grin. "Thanks for taking care of Zahra."

"No problem." Edmund replied with a grin, glancing over his shoulder at Caspian.

Edmund raised his eyebrow at the sight of the older King, standing dead in the spot he had been in since stepping off the lift board and staring at Aura like he had never seen a woman before. He had never seen Caspian look at anyone like that, not even Susan whom he had been besotted with since the moment they met.

Lucy, who had noticed the same thing as her brother, exchanged a smirk with the older boy and turned to Aura, who was now kneeling in front of Zahra on the ground and was wringing out the little girl's dress and hair, the headband still holding the dark curls back.

"Aura, there's someone I'd like you to meet." Lucy said sweetly to the older woman.

"Okay." Aura said, gracefully rising to her feet and looking at the younger girl.

Edmund, a wide grin on his face, grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the Narnian King.

"Aura, this is King Caspian and our dear friend. Caspian, this is Dr. Aurelia Braddock. She appeared in the water the same time we did." Edmund said, introducing the pair to each other.

She looked up at the King, noticing his handsome appearance –the shoulder length layered dark brown hair, the soulful dark brown eyes, the lightly tanned skin, the neat stubble beard along his jaw and the well-muscled figure beneath his wet clothes.

"Thank you for saving me, Your Majesty." Aura said, curtsying elegantly and smiling radiantly up at the handsome king in front of her.

Caspian managed to regain the use of his tongue and said, "Please, Dr. Braddock, call me Caspian."

"Only if you call me Aura or Aurelia." Aura responded with a smile.

"Very well, Aurelia." Caspian said.

Zahra toddled up to them as fast as she could. Unfortunately, the ground was still slippery from all the water they had trekked onboard causing the toddler to slip and fall flat on her back.

"Uh-oh." Zahra said adorably, rolling over to her front and getting to her feet.

"Are you okay, baby?" Aura asked calmly with a smile on her face, crouching beside the toddler.

Lucy, Edmund, Caspian and the crew looked alarmed when they saw the child slip and fall, but relaxed when they saw that Aura was calm. If she was calm, being the woman who knew the child best, then the rest of them could be calm as well.

"Uh-oh." Zahra said, patting her diapered bum and smiling at her mother.

"Yes, you fell on your bum." Aura said with a grin. "Do you want Mummy to give you a hug?"

Zahra grinned and wrapped her arms around Aura's neck tightly, basking in the warmth of her mother's hug. Everyone's eyes widened in surprise when they heard what Aura had said, everyone except Lucy and Edmund as Aura had told them while they were in the water. Aura rose to her feet, Zahra in her arms and turned to look at the shocked crew.

"This is my daughter, Zahra." Aura said with a smile, not noticing the shocked expressions on their faces.

"It's nice to meet you, Zahra." Caspian said with a smile, finding his voice once more and stepping forward.

He took the Zahra's tiny hand in his own and gently kissed the back of it, earning him a beautiful smile from the baby. An equally radiant smile was drawn from her mother.

"Um, Caspian, didn't you call for us?" Lucy asked with a frown, suddenly remembering the Narnian King's question when she had been brought on board.

"No. Not this time." Caspian replied shaking his head, still standing in front of Aura and holding Zahra's hand.

"Well, whatever the case, I'm just glad to be here." Edmund said with a grin.

"Where is here?" Aura asked, reminding them that even though she was remarkably calm, she still had no idea what was going on.

"AHHH!" Eustace screamed, drawing their attention to him before anyone could answer Aura's question.

"Now calm down, sir." Reepicheep said, standing on Eustace's chest.

"Get that thing off me!" Eustace screamed, flailing around on the ground. "Get that thing off me!"

Eustace finally managed to throw the Mouse off him and send him rolling across the deck's slippery floor. Reepicheep got to his feet and shook his head, looking at Eustace with irritation.

"Reepicheep!' Lucy cried in delight.

Reepicheep turned around and looked at the two recently arrived Royals and the surprise arrival.

"Oh. Your Majesties." Reepicheep breathed, fixing his belt and bowing to the King and Queen.

Aura's mouth dropped open when she heard him speak, amazement crossing her features. Amazed at hearing the Mouse speak, she hadn't realized the way he had addressed the teenagers beside her.

"Awesome." Aura breathed, a delighted smile on her face.

"Wow." Zahra said, clapping her tiny hands together happily.

"Hello, Reep." Edmund said in a regal voice. "What a pleasure."

"The pleasure is all mine sir." Reepicheep said.

"Are you all right?" Aura asked the Mouse, kneeling down and putting Zahra on the floor beside her, holding the baby's waist to keep her from wandering off.

"I'm quite all right, My Lady." Reepicheep replied smiling at her before turning to look at the King and Queen. "But what to do about this - this hysterical interloper?"

Eustace had gotten to his hands and knees, now coughing to try and clear out the residual water from his lungs.

"That giant rat thing just tried to claw my face off!" Eustace screamed, pointing to Reepicheep.

Aura got to her feet once more though Zahra stayed on the floor, holding to the drape of Aura's dress and watching the scene with large eyes.

"I was merely trying to expel the water from your lungs, sir." Reepicheep tried to explain, taking a confident stance as he looked at the hysterical boy.

Eustace shot to his feet and stumbled back in shock, pressing himself against the inside hull of the ship.

"It talked!" Eustace exclaimed hysterically, pointing at the Mouse. "Did you see? Did anyone hear just that? It just talked!"

Aura knew she should be freaking out as well at the sight of Talking Mice, Satyrs and Minotaurs, but she felt as though there was nothing to worry about. She felt completely at peace with the strange sights that surrounded her. She wondered for a moment if this was the land her grandmother used to tell stories about.

"He always talks." A crew member informed Eustace with a shrug.

"Actually, it's getting him to shut up that's the trick." Caspian joked, crossing his arms and looking down at the Mouse with a grin to show he meant no ill-will.

The crew laughed at the King's comment, knowing it to be very true. Zahra, hearing the laughter of the men around her, laughed as well and clapped her hands delightedly. The baby's action caused another wave of laughter to ripple through the crew.

"The moment there is nothing to be said, your Highness, I promise you, I will not say it." Reepicheep said, turning around to look at the King.

"I don't know what kind of prank this is, but I want to wake up right now!" Eustace screamed, stamping his foot.

"Perhaps we could throw him back?" Reepicheep suggested, turning to look at the three Royals and the surprise guest.

Edmund looked at Reepicheep thoughtfully, considering the idea. Lucy smiled indulgently at the Mouse until she caught sight of her brother's expression.

"Edmund!" Lucy exclaimed, elbowing the older boy in the ribs.

"I demand to know, just where in the blazes am I?" Eustace demanded hysterically, stomping across the deck and looking at the amused crew members.

"You're on the Dawn Treader, the finest ship in Narnia's navy." A Minotaur, Tavros, said, coming up behind Eustace.

Eustace, who had whipped around to look at who was speaking, took one look at the massive black-furred Minotaur and fainted, collapsing on the floor. The boy's reaction to the Minotaur sent the crew into another fit of laughter.

"Uh-oh." Zahra said adorably, looking at the unconscious boy with wide silver-grey eyes.

"Oh, my Gods!" Aura cried, hurrying over to the prone boy and kneeling beside him.

"Was it something I said?" Tavros asked innocently as Aura checked the boy's pulse.

Caspian, who had followed Aura, stopped beside the Minotaur and watched as the strangely clad woman expertly checked on the boy.

"He's okay. He just fainted. I think he just needs time to gain his bearings." Aura said, looking up at the massive Minotaur.

"See to him, will you?" Caspian asked Tavros as Aura got to her feet.

"Your Majesty." Tavros said in acknowledgement, bowing his head in respect.

Caspian and Aura walked back to Edmund, Lucy and Zahra, the King stepping onto the first stair that led to the upper level of the bow and turning to his crew while the blonde stopped beside her daughter and swept her into her arms.

"Men, behold our castaways," Caspian called, gaining the crew's attention. "Edmund the Just and Lucy the Valiant… High King and Queen of Narnia."

As one, the crew fell silent of the chatter and knelt in front of the King and Queen of old, Aura following suit with a curtsy half a second later with Zahra in her arms.

"Now let's get back to work." Caspian called when the men straightened once more.


	4. Brought Up To Speed

**Brought Up To Speed**

Caspian led Edmund, Lucy and Aura, Zahra in her arms, to his Cabin at the stern – tail end - of the ship to get some dry clothes for them to wear.

"I'm afraid the clothes might be a little big." Caspian said sheepishly handing some clothes to Lucy and Edmund before turning back to withdraw some for Aura. "And we don't have anything that could even remotely fit Zahra."

"That's okay. I have clothes for Zahra and I." Aura said reassuringly, patting the bag she had picked up before leaving the deck. "They were supposed to be for the wedding, but I can improvise. I also have a sewing kit that you can use Lucy, if you want to try and alter the clothes to fit you better."

"That would be great." Lucy said with a smile. "I could use it for mending."

Aura fingered her jewelry for a moment before looking at the three of them.

"I don't know about removing the jewelry though. It was a set that once belonged to my birth-mother." She said hesitantly, a shadow of sorrow passing over her features that all three of them recognized instantly, Caspian in particular.

"Well, you can keep the jewelry on, but you may have to remove it if we leave the ship." Caspian said, understanding the reluctance to part with a memento, no matter how materialistic it may seem. "It would mostly be for your sake, it could draw unwanted attention to you."

"Fair enough." Aura replied with a nod, smiling up at the handsome King.

"Edmund, I'll show you to the crew's quarters below deck, you can change there while the girls change here." Caspian said, turning to look at the Just King.

Edmund nodded and, with his fresh clothes in his hands, followed Caspian out of the King's Cabin.

Once the men left and the door was firmly shut, Aura lifted Zahra onto the bed and removed her dress and shoes, quickly drying her off and changing her into a short-sleeved knee-length white dress with off white dots and a red trim at the bottom border and at the collar, white leggings and red flat shoes* while leaving the earrings and anklets in place. She combed Zahra's hair and put the dark curls into two pigtails, with the red ribbons tied into bows.

"Aura, how come you don't seem all that surprised about everything you've seen so far?" Lucy asked Aura curiously, changing into a white shirt, navy blue trousers, brown boots and a russet red tunic.

"Well, I was just transported to the middle of an ocean through a painting in my room that I had never noticed before. Said ocean is clearly not of Earth, the sea air has a sweetness to it that doesn't exist on Earth, same with the warmth and glow of the sun." Aura replied dryly, putting Zahra on the ground and grinning at the teenager.

Aura proceeded to change into a simple red and white lehenga – a red skirt that rested on her hips, a short white blouse that came just below her bust with silver mirror-worked red straps and white dupatta with red border*. She had the dupatta pleated and pinned to her right shoulder, tying the ends in a knot at her left hip like a sash to keep it out of her way. She left her hair the way it was, fixing it a little so it was neat once again, along with her jewelry, anklets, shoes and the bindi between her eyebrows. The henna on her hands were as dark as ever, the dark maroon contrasting beautifully against her milk-white skin.

Red and white was the theme that the bride and groom had chosen for the bridal and groom's parties, resulting in almost everything Aura had with her following that color scheme in some way.

"Good point." Lucy said with a nod, tying her light brown hair into a side pony over her shoulder. "You look incredible."

"Thank you. You look great yourself." Aura said, looking at the way Lucy had managed to feminize Caspian's large clothes, without using the sewing kit. "And besides, my grandmother used to tell me stories of a magical land her father had been to when he was a child and of a wardrobe he had made from the wood of a tree that grew from a magical apple core. She mentioned that he had told her about four siblings that had travelled into the magical land through the wardrobe several years back, in the summer of 1940."

"Wow." Zahra said, getting to her feet and clapping her hands enthusiastically.

"Wait, 'several years back, in the 1940's'?" Lucy repeated, looking at the blonde in surprise. For the moment, she focused on the year that the blonde had mentioned, not the fact that she had heard stories of Narnia from her grandmother.

"Yeah, over 75 years ago." Aura replied with a shrug before taking note of Lucy's dumbstruck expression and remembering the style of clothing the three teens had been dressed in. "Hang on, what year are you from?"

"1944" Lucy replied faintly.

"Height of the Second World War." Aura said quietly before saying loudly to Lucy. "I'm from 2018."

"Can you tell me about the war? How does it end?" Lucy asked, hope and fear warring on her face at the thought of her family.

"The Germans don't win." Aura said reassuringly. "I can't say much more, not without running the risk of messing up the timelines if we end up going back to our world."

"That's okay. That much is plenty." Lucy said, tears springing to her eyes.

"Uh oh." Zahra said, walking to Lucy and raising her arms at the older girl, wanting to be picked up.

Lucy complied and picked the baby up, holding her close as she processed the small amount of information that she had been told by the 21st Century woman.

"Let's go see if Edmund's dressed yet. I'm sure he would love to know about this." Lucy said a few minutes later as she put Zahra back on the floor, walking towards the door and opening it. "And I want to know everything we've missed since the last time we were here."

"What was it like?" Aura asked interestedly, already having realized that Edmund and Lucy would have been to the amazing magical land previously from their lack of surprise and the way they had greeted the crew and had been greeted in return.

"Well, the first time we came…." Lucy began, changing direction to sit on the bed with Aura sitting next to her.

Lucy proceeded to spend the next thirty minutes giving the blonde a cliff notes version of their previous two adventures in Narnia while Zahra began exploring the Cabin.

"Wow, talk about an adventure." Aura breathed in amazement once Lucy had stopped talking.

Lucy was about to speak but was cut off by a knock on the door.

"Lu? Aurelia?" Caspian called through the door. "Are you two dressed?"

"Yeah, come in." Aura called, getting off the bed and looking around the room for Zahra as the two Kings entered the Cabin. "Zahra? Where did you get to?"

Intent on her search for her mischievous daughter, she didn't notice the look of amazement she was getting from the dark haired Kings, Caspian in particular.

Zahra giggled and crawled out from beneath the bed, on the opposite side from Aura, and ran towards the open door. She giggled and ran between Caspian and Edmund's spread legs, out onto the ship deck.

"Zahra!" Aura cried, hurrying after her daughter.

Caspian and Edmund jumped to the side, barely managing to avoid being run into by the blonde woman chasing after her daughter. Aura ran out onto the deck, not noticing the raised eyebrows she was receiving due to her unconventional attire.

"Wow." Zahra said with a giggle, climbing onto a box that was by the Crow's Nest pillar and standing on top of it, clapping her hands delightedly.

"Zahra. Do you have to give Mummy a heart attack?" Aura asked with a sigh, crouching in front of her daughter and looking at the little girl with exasperation all over her face. "Just once, can you sit in one place and not run off?"

Zahra giggled and babbled in response, clapping her hands happily. She reached out and grabbed Aura's earrings, tugging on the ornament.

"Ow, ow." Aura moaned, gently pulling her earring out of the baby's hand and pulling back.

"Quite the grip the young lady has, doesn't she?" Reepicheep said cheerfully, appearing next to Zahra.

"Yes, Reepicheep, she does." Aura said with a grin, rubbing her ear to ease the mild pain from being grabbed.

Zahra turned to the Mouse and babbled happily, reaching out to touch the Mouse's fur.

"Gentle, Zahra. You need gentle hands." Aura cautioned gently, watching her daughter like a hawk.

Zahra gently patted the Mouse's fur, laughing delightedly at the feel of the soft coat.

"I see you found her." Caspian said from behind Aura.

Aura gave a startled scream and shot to her feet, whipping around to look at the chuckling King. Edmund and Lucy were behind him, both chuckling at the blonde's startled reaction as were the crew members that were on deck.

"Not funny." Aura said, stepping away from Zahra and giving a small pout to the eldest King. "But yes, I caught up to her. And as you can see, she is now preoccupied with Reepicheep."

Without even realizing it, Aura subtly ran her eyes over Caspian's form, taking in the fresh clothes he was dressed in - a dark maroon velvet long sleeved tunic with an open sleeveless knee-length coat over top in a more redder shade of maroon and embroidered with greenish gold along the trim, brown baggy trousers tucked into brown leather boots. His hair was unbound, falling in gentle waves to his broad shoulders.

"Come with me, we have much to discuss." Caspian said, gesturing for Aura to follow him and the Pevensie siblings to the upper level at the stern of the ship, right above the King's Cabin.

Aura looked at him uncertainly, her gaze turning to Zahra who was still playing with Reepicheep by the Crow's Nest pillar a few feet away. Her uncertainty of letting Zahra out of her sight so soon after their near drowning was clear on her face. She had already let the baby stay with Edmund while they were in the water, the trust being well-placed, but the fact remained that she didn't know them and was understandably hesitant.

"Don't worry, Dr. Aura. I'll will keep young Zahra safe." Reepicheep said reassuringly.

"Oh, it's not that. I know you will, Reepicheep. It's just that she doesn't usually go to strangers very quickly and we're in a completely new land." Aura said hurriedly in explanation, not wanting the noble Mouse to think she was ungrateful for the time he was spending with her daughter. She frowned and added thoughtfully, "Actually, I'm kinda surprised she's being so friendly."

"Why don't we take advantage of her being friendly with Reep?" Edmund suggested. "You need to be brought up to speed like Lucy and I do, and the moment she gets fussy and cranky, someone can come get you."

The Just King was dressed in a blue grey cotton shirt with long sleeves, a velvet lavender grey sleeveless waistcoat buttoned over top, tanned baggy trousers and black leather boots. Over the outfit, he wore a knee-length dark brown sleeveless leather coat, left open.

"Okay, sounds like a good plan." Aura said, conceding to the idea.

Edmund had a point, she might as well take advantage of Zahra's uncharacteristically friendly behavior for however long it lasts.

"Reep, you will alert us if Zahra becomes fussy?" Caspian asked the Mouse.

"At once, your Highness, Dr. Aura." Reepicheep said, bowing his head respectfully to the Monarch.

Zahra, seeing Reepicheep bow his head to Caspian, turned and mimicked the move, bowing her head to the King as well. The move, seen by many of the crew members, earned the baby several fond expressions. Unfortunately, being the first time Zahra had ever bowed to anyone, she accidentally went too far forward and toppled over the box she had been standing on.

Caspian darted forward and caught the baby before she could hit the floor and Aura rushed forward as well, her heart in her throat. Caspian straightened Zahra in his arms and adjusted his hold on her so that she was resting against his hip. Zahra had a wide-eyed look on her face, stunned by her fall and the sudden shift in height when she was caught and held.

"Zahra, what did you do?" Aura asked the baby in calm exasperation, despite the clear alarm on her face. Noticing the worried and alarmed looks on everyone else's faces, particularly Caspian's, she said gently without looking away from Zahra, "Don't let Zahra see or notice your alarm. It will frighten her." Seeing that they didn't really understand, she continued, "She is stunned by the fall and the shift in height when Caspian caught her. If you let her see your alarm, it will frighten her."

As if to prove Aura's point, Zahra began babbling rapidly, the only word anyone understood was 'uh oh' that slipped out amidst the babble.

"Kids are a lot of work." Edmund muttered, a hand on his chest as he calmed his heart rate.

"You have no idea." Aura sighed, looking at him. "None whatsoever."

Zahra began wriggling in Caspian's hold and he put her on the floor gently, making her sit on her bum. Reepicheep went to the little girl and let her pat his fur once more, making sure to keep his sword out of her reach.

Caspian led the siblings, Aura and Captain Drinian to the State Room – the Stern Cabin - next to the King's Cabin. He opened the double doors and walked in, stepping aside and allowing for Lucy, Edmund, Aura and Drinian to follow.

"Wow, this is beautiful." Aura breathed, her eyes wide as she looked around the room.

Aura, despite being used to extravagance and wealth regardless of whether she liked it or not, had never seen any kind of interior décor done so beautifully. So majestic and regal in its simplicity. Not just the Stern Cabin, but the entire ship itself, designed to resemble a dragon from the bow being shaped as the head to the stern resembling the tail.

The middle of the room held a large wooden table, a hand-drawn map covering almost its entire surface. Behind the table was a leather sofa, sectioned into three wide seats that rested against the hull of the ship, the stain glass windows letting the golden sunlight stream into the room with varying degrees of beautiful color. Around the room, several beautifully crafted paintings covering the length of the walls.

"Aslan." Lucy said with a small smile, walking to the furthest left of the room and looking at a golden motif of the Lion that hung in the center of the wall.

"I still can't believe the stories were true." Aura breathed quietly, looking around the room.

She didn't notice the three Royals and the Captain exchanging looks, hearing her quiet words in the silence of the cabin.

"You had said your grandmother told you stories?" Lucy asked Aura, looking at the blonde's back.

"Yes." Aura replied, turning around to look at the four of them. "My grandmother told me stories about a magical land her father had found when he was a boy. She said her father told her stories of four siblings that had traveled through a wardrobe into a magical land, returning 15 years later only to find out that seconds had passed on Earth."

"What was your great grandfather's name?" Edmund asked, a thoughtful frown on his face.

"His name was Kirke. Professor Digory Kirke." Aura replied, smiling sadly and looking out through the stain glass window. "Honestly, I always thought they were just stories. Wonderful stories that helped me get through some of the darkest moments of my life."

She thought about how the stories had helped her recently, with her falling sick while pregnant, the risks she faced while trying to carry Zahra to term and give birth to her successfully, and later navigating the life and responsibilities of a single mother while working as a doctor full time.

"Wait, was?" Edmund asked in confusion and worry, they had just spoken with the Professor a few months earlier. Lucy winced, not having had the chance to tell her brother that in Aura's time, the Professor had been dead for years.

"Yeah, of course." Aura said, looking at the tall Just King. "He passed away years ago. Before I was even born." Seeing Edmund's still confused look, Aura turned to Lucy. "You haven't told him?"

"I haven't had the chance." Lucy said sheepishly.

"Told me what?' Edmund asked, getting irritated.

"I'm from 2018." Aura said bluntly, looking at the dark haired boy. "From my perspective, the Second World War ended over 60 years ago. And before you ask, all I can tell you is that the German's don't win the war."

Aura purposefully kept the date vague, knowing she was already treading on thin ice just telling them that the German's don't win the war.

"The Germans don't win?" Edmund repeated, hope spreading across his face.

Caspian and Drinian exchanged looks, completely confused, but deciding not to ask since it was clearly a sensitive topic.

"No, they don't." Aura replied, smiling gently at the younger boy.

Her gaze was caught by a beautifully crafted bow and quiver filled with red-feathered arrows holding a pride of place on a chest at the far right wall.

"These are beautiful." Aura breathed, going over to the chest and looking at the bow and arrows.

"Susan's bow and arrows." Lucy said, walking around the cabin and joining the blonde by the chest.

"Your older sister, right?" Aura asked Lucy, remembering the overview the teenager had given her.

"Yeah." Lucy replied with a nod.

"Lucy." Caspian said, drawing both women's attention to him. He removed a small chest from a cabinet and showed its contents to the Valiant Queen.

"My healing cordial!" Lucy cried, stepping towards the eldest King. "And dagger." She reached out to take the items before pausing and looking up at the King, "May I?"

"Of course." Caspian replied with a smile. "They're yours."

Lucy reached out once again and took the cordial and dagger, strapping the belt around her waist.

"Peter's sword." Edmund said, seeing the magnificent sword hanging on the wall.

"Yes. I looked after it as promised." Caspian said, going to the sword and picking it up. He held the sword carefully out to Edmund. "Here, hold it if you wish."

"No, no. It's yours." Edmund said in monotone, taking a step back. "Peter gave it to you."

Aura cocked her head to the side, hearing the hint of jealousy in Edmund's voice – the dark-haired teen wanted to take the sword, hold it at least once, but felt the need to decline the offer as the right thing to do.

"I did save this for you though." Caspian said, noticing the uneasiness that filled the air between the two of them. He went back to the cabinet and withdrew a steel torch, tossing it to Edmund with a cheeky grin of his face.

"Thanks." Edmund said with a smile, sarcasm dripping from his voice as he fiddled with the switch and flicked it on, shinning it in his face.

"That's the torch you used to send Morse code signals to the Narnian army, yeah?" Aura asked, pointing to the torch as Edmund switched the bright beam off.

"Yeah." Edmund replied dully, nodding.

"Impressive." Aura said with a grin. "Making use of something seemingly so insignificant and turning it into a means of communication or survival."

"Yeah, I guess." Edmund muttered thoughtfully, looking at the torch again, seeing what Aura had seen when she saw it.

"Your Majesty, perhaps we should update their Majesties and Dr. Aura on our quest and what has occurred since their previous visit." Drinian said in his calm voice, bringing the three monarchs and the doctor back on track.

"Yes, of course." Caspian said, nodding. He went to the table that was in the middle of the room and pointed to the map. "Since you left, the Giants of the North have surrendered unconditionally, then we defeated the Calormen armies at the Great Desert." He looked at the two teenaged monarchs. "There's peace across all of Narnia."

"Peace?" Edmund repeated, standing on the other side of the table from the older King, Lucy and Aura on either side of him.

"In just three years." Caspian confirmed, pride evident in his voice.

"That's impressive." Aura said, looking at the map intently.

Focused on the map in front of her and taking in the detailed art, she missed the faint blush on Caspian's cheeks at the praise he received from the stunning blonde. Drinian, Edmund and Lucy noticed however and exchanged looks, successfully managing to hold back their amused smirks – the Narnian King was smitten, completely smitten.

"And have you found yourself a queen in those three years?" Lucy asked, tucking a curled lock of her hair behind her ears and smirking up at the older man.

Aura looked up at Caspian, hearing the question and curious to know the answer as well.

"No." Caspian replied, looking at the Valiant Queen. "Not one to compare with your sister." His gaze drifted to Aura, who had turned her attention back to the map. "Or so I thought."

Lucy smirked at the King's words, seeing his gaze on an oblivious Aura.

"Hang on. If there are no wars to fight, and no one's in trouble, then why are we here?" Edmund asked, focused on what they had been told about the current state of Narnia.

"What do you mean?" Aura asked, looking at the Just King.

"Normally, we are brought to Narnia when there is trouble or when we are called." Edmund explained. "The first time we had come, there was the war against the White Witch and the second time, Caspian had called for us."

"Indeed." Caspian said with a sigh, a troubled look on his face. "I've been asking myself the same thing."

"Well, whatever the reason, I'm just glad to not be dealing with Bridezilla." Aura said cheerfully. At the raised eyebrows she received, she elaborated, "Don't get me wrong. I love my sister, I really do. But if I had to listen to her rant about the wrong kind of flowers or the wrong song being played by the musicians, I was going to shoot her."

"I see how that could drive you crazy." Edmund said sarcastically.

"6 months." Aura said to him. "I have been listening to her rant about various details she thought were going wrong for 6 months. While raising my daughter and working full time."

"Ouch." Lucy winced sympathetically.

"Tell me about it." Aura groaned.

"So, where are we sailing to?" Edmund asked, changing the subject and looking at the map.

"Before I took back the throne from my uncle, he tried to kill my father's closest friends and supporters." Caspian said, turning to the board behind him that had hand-drawn face images of different men pinned to it. "The Seven Lords of Telmar."

Aura and Edmund walked around the table and stepped towards the board for a closer look at the images, each sheet of parchment containing a picture of a single Lord.

"They fled to the Lone Islands." Caspian continued after a moment's pause. He turned and pointed to the Islands drawn on the map before looking back at the board. "No one's heard from them since."

Aura looked at the King, hearing the note of concern in his voice.

"You believe something's happened to them?" She asked, turning and looking at him.

"Well, if it has, it's my duty to find out." Caspian said determinedly.

They fell silent for several moments, each pondering what lay ahead on their journey.

"Well, what's east of the Lone Islands?" Lucy asked curiously, looking at the map and noticing that nothing had been marked in the mentioned area.

"Uncharted waters." Drinian replied. "Things you can barely imagine. Tales of sea serpents and worse."

Lucy's eyes widened in minute alarm at the answer to her question, looking at her brother.

"Sea serpents?" Edmund repeated disbelievingly, looking at the Captain.

"Awesome." Aura breathed, her eyes bright with amazement.

"All right Captain, enough of your tall tales." Caspian said with a grin, taking a bite of his apple.

"This place gets cooler by the minute." Aura said, barely holding back the desire to squeal.

Caspian chuckled at the expression on Aura's face, the wonder and amazement that shone without abandon on the porcelain features and in the silver grey eyes.

"I'm going to go find Zahra, and check on Eustace." Aura said to them, walking towards the door.

"Oh, yeah." Edmund muttered, as though he had forgotten his cousin had even been on board.

Aura shook her head, laughing lightly and left the room.

Links:

*Zahra dress and hair after changing (white dress with off-white dots and red trim, red ribbons in her hair), with white leggings instead of tights - .ca/pin/474566879470228659/

*Aura lehenga after changing (red skirt, white blouse with silver mirror worked red straps and white dupatta with red border) - .ca/pin/474566879478174109/

Aura's shoes, jewelry, anklets, bangles, hairstyle and bindi links are in Chapter 1.


	5. Sparring

**Sparring**

Aura walked onto the deck and quickly found Zahra 'helping' a crew member, Pittencream, clean the sides of the ship. Zahra was standing while the man was kneeling so that he wouldn't strain his back. She smiled and walked over to the two, maneuvering between the men who were working.

"Hey baby. You helping?" Aura asked Zahra when she reached the pair, crouching next to them.

"Wow." Zahra said, holding up the cloth in her hands.

"Yes, baby. It looks very nice." Aura said with a smile, kissing her head. She turned to Pittencream, a Galmian sailor, who had paused his task to look at the stunning blonde. "Is she troubling you?"

"No, my Lady." The Galmian sailor replied, shaking his head. "She has been a great help."

"Okay, I'll take your word for it." Aura said with a laugh. "Zahra, you want to stay up here or come downstairs and check on Eustace?"

"Wow." Zahra said, moving closer to the inner side of the hull and putting the washcloth on the wood in response.

"Okay, staying up here it is." Aura said. "Be good."

Aura kissed Zahra's forehead and stood up, smiling at her daughter and the Galmian sailor. She turned and made her way to the hatch in the flooring, making her way down to the crew quarters were Eustace was resting on a hammock. Quickly and efficiently, the medical doctor checked on the boy, finding him to have emerged from unconsciousness and merely sleeping - grunting with every few breathes that passed his lips.

With a final check on his vitals, she turned and made her way back up to the deck, emerging from the hatch just as Lucy walked up to it.

"Hey, I was just about to come down. Give you a break from Eustace's complaining." Lucy said with a bright smile.

Caspian and Edmund stood by the stairs a few feet away from the two women, but close enough to hear Aura as she replied to Lucy's remark.

"Well he hasn't complained since he's hasn't woken up yet." Aura said with a smile. "He's progressed from unconsciousness to REM sleep. He should wake up in a few hours at most."

After leaving the Stern Cabin, Caspian had quickly found his gaze drawn to Aura as she emerged from below deck and spoke with Lucy, seeing the way the sun made her blonde hair seem to shine, the ruby flowers in the bun sparkling brightly. The beautiful smile on the woman's face gave her appearance of glowing, enhanced by her jewelry. There was also the way she seemed absolutely comfortable in the clothes she was wearing, unmindful of the amount of her skin that was being displayed, and moving with graceful and purposeful strides in her high heeled shoes.

"That's good." Lucy said, relief clear on her features at the knowledge that her cousin, regardless of how annoying he was, would be fine.

"Wow." Zahra said, drawing the two women's attention to her.

Aura smiled as she watched her daughter walk across the floor with the washcloth in her tiny hands, becoming pleasantly surprised when she by passed the blonde entirely and went straight to Caspian.

"What have you been doing, sweet girl?" Caspian asked gently, crouching down in front of the little girl.

"Wow." Zahra said, holding up the washcloth.

"You have been cleaning?" Caspian said, looking at the cloth before looking back at the little girl. He looked around at the ship deck, seeing the crew member that was actually on cleaning duty. The King smiled genially, looking back at the little girl. "And you did wonderful. The ship looks absolutely spectacular."

Zahra smiled widely at him, showing her small white teeth. Aura laughed lightly, making her way to the little girl who captivated the King and crouching down beside them.

"Can you give Mummy the cloth now baby?" Aura asked gently, holding her hand out.

Zahra pouted but handed it over, her attention being drawn by Drinian who was on the bow by the steering wheel. She babbled as she walked away from her mother and Caspian, the two standing up and watching as the little girl crawled up the steps and carefully made her way to the tall Captain.

Drinian smiled and picked up the little girl in his arms.

"Would you like to assist me with steering the ship?" Drinian asked her, one hand holding the girl on his hip and the other on the wheel.

"Wow." Zahra said, clapping her hands delightedly and reaching out to the wheel.

Drinian chuckled and proceeded to teach the 14-month old how to steer, not caring that the girl didn't understand most of what he was saying. He caught Aura's eye and seeing the silent question on her fair features, gave her a reassuring smile, not breaking from his explanation.

Aura smiled and turned around, looking at Caspian and Edmund, noticing that Lucy seemed to have disappeared.

"Well, I'm going to have a look around. Try and see if I can put together a medical kit from what we have on board." She said with a sigh. "Take advantage of Zahra being preoccupied. And see what I have in the diaper bag that I can make use of, hopefully I will at least have my stethoscope."

"Why do you need to put a medical kit together?" Caspian asked, genuinely curious.

"Yeah, I mean, we have Lucy's cordial." Edmund added. "One drop can heal any injury."

"That may be so, but I am a medical doctor." Aura said with a gentle smile, looking up at the two Kings as they entered the King's Cabin. She opened the diaper bag and began rummaging through it. "If we're going to be sailing all over the place, with no idea what to expect, I'd like to be prepared. Besides, I'm sure you don't want to use Lucy's cordial for small things like cuts and bruises."

She looked at Edmund with a grin before letting out a triumphant 'Aha!' and pulling a stethoscope out from the diaper bag.

"I knew I had it in here." She said with a grin, holding the medical instrument up.

She put it on the side and began looking around the room, taking note of what lay on the surfaces. Edmund, seeing Caspian's confused look, explained what a stethoscope was and its uses, earning an understanding nod of acknowledgement.

"Let's see, a fully stocked travel sewing kit that can double as a suture kit and a stethoscope." Aura said to herself, looking at the sewing kit and the stethoscope. "I'll have to make sure the needles used for suturing are kept separate from the ones used for mending. And maybe we can find some old sheets that can be washed and used as bandages." She turned to Caspian. "Do you have any old sheets? Ones that are no longer used for bedding that can be washed and used as bandages?"

"I'm not entirely sure." Caspian replied, a thoughtful look on his face. "Drinian would know for certain."

"Okay." Aura said with a nod, standing up and putting the kit and the stethoscope back in the bag. "I'll ask him right now. I have to get Zahra, she should be getting hungry shortly."

She walked out of the Cabin, followed by the two Kings. The three separated by the steps, the blonde going up to join Drinian and talk to him while the two Kings went further away and talked with each other, Edmund bringing Caspian up to speed on how Peter and Susan were doing.

"Captain?" Aura called, catching the tall man's attention.

Drinian still had Zahra in his arms, though the girl was resting her head against his shoulder and rubbing her face periodically, moaning every once in a while.

"Oh, my Lady." Drinian said, turning to the blonde. "I was just about to come find you. Zahra seems to be tired."

"She's hungry." Aura told him, taking the baby back and holding her against her hip. Zahra needed no encouragement to put her head on Aura's shoulder, moaning restlessly. "I wanted to ask if you had any old sheets. Those that aren't being used for beddings or as washcloths. So I can use them as bandages if needed."

"I'm sure we have, my Lady. I can check the storeroom and let you know." Drinian said with a nod.

"Thank you." Aura said, putting a hand on Zahra's back, rubbing soothingly. "I should go feed her before she starts crying."

Aura smiled at him one more time before turning and going down the stairs, quickly going back into the King's Cabin and closing the door behind her. She had just sat on the bed, making herself comfortable, when Zahra began whimpering, the telltale sign that she was about to start crying.

"Shh, shh, shh. It's okay, baby." Aura crooned softly, holding Zahra on her lap and getting the baby to latch on to her breast, beginning to nurse. "It's okay, I'm feeding you. It's okay."

Aura hummed softly, a meaningless tune that helped Zahra relax as she suckled her mother's milk, drinking her fill. Aura rested her head back against the head board and sighed. She thought about the situation she found herself in, the excitement and the distractions fading to give her a moment to truly realize what was going on.

She knew from Lucy's stories that if they were ever to return to England, time likely wouldn't have passed, so she wasn't worried about her family. She was in fact worried about herself and, more importantly, Zahra. Aura wasn't naïve, she knew that there were dangers that lay ahead. She also realized that she didn't know how she would ensure Zahra's safety. Aura may be a very capable fighter, being the daughter of a Navy Commander and as such a high value target would see to it, but she knew her main priority was Zahra's safety.

"At least I have enough supplies that should last for a while." Aura said to herself, looking down at Zahra, who was oblivious to her mother's thoughts.

Aura had plenty of diapers, both disposable and cloth, and bottles if a time came when Aura couldn't get privacy to feed Zahra, as well as a handful of diaper shirts for when the baby became uncomfortable in the dress she was wearing. Aura also had a few changes of clothes for herself, even if they were meant for the wedding, and nightclothes.

It wasn't long before Zahra pulled away from Aura's chest and wriggled off the older woman's lap. Zahra sat on the bed and smiled toothily up at Aura.

"You're done already?" Aura asked in mild surprised, blowing a raspberry into Zahra's cheek.

Zahra giggled delightedly and babbled in response. Aura picked her up and rubbed her back gently, doing so until Zahra let out a small burp followed by a giggle.

"Yes missy, you gave a burp." Aura said, putting Zahra back on the bed, resting her on her back.

She lifted the baby's dress and blew a raspberry into her stomach, causing Zahra to shriek in delight.

There was a knock at the door, drawing Aura's attention.

"Come in!" Aura called, making sure her blouse strap was back in place.

"Hey, Drinian said you had taken Zahra when she became fussy." Lucy said, poking her head inside the cabin.

"Yeah, she was hungry." Aura replied, cocking her head to the side at the faint sounds of metal clanging and loud cheers behind Lucy. "What's going on outside?"

Aura got off the bed and gently set Zahra on her feet beside her, taking a firm hold of the baby's hand.

"Caspian and Edmund have begun sparring." Lucy replied. "The crew are watching avidly."

"Oh, sounds interesting." Aura said with a smile.

"It really is." Lucy replied with a grin. "Come on."

Aura picked Zahra up and followed Lucy onto the ship deck. They carefully made their way through the cheering men and to the side of the ship. Lucy sat on a barrel that propped against side barrier, holding Zahra's hands while she stood on another barrel beside her and Aura hopping up to sit on the barrier itself.

The two women and one child watched as Edmund and Caspian sparred, each performing a complicated dance of thrusting, dodging, parrying and ducking of the other's blade.

Both duelers had removed their over garments, leaving them in their loose tunics tucked into their trousers and their boots. Caspian had tied his hair back in a half-pony, keeping the thick locks out of his face as he sparred with his friend.

"What do you think?" Lucy asked Aura, pitching her voice so that it could be heard over the loud heckling of the men and babbled cheering of the baby.

"It's impressive." Aura replied with a bright smile. "But I have to admit, it has got to be the cleanest sparring match I've ever seen."

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked curiously.

Zahra wriggled in Lucy's hold, wanting to move freely, but the Valiant Queen kept firm, knowing that the little girl would only injure herself and cause a distraction for the duelers.

"No, Zahra. You need to stay here." Lucy said gently to the little girl, who pouted at her in response. "Once the duel is done, then you can go and play."

"I mean, every sparring match I've ever witnessed, or even participated in, has always resulted in both parties ending up bruised or injured in some way." Aura explained, angling herself to face Lucy with her ankles crossed on the barrel Zahra was standing on. She gave Lucy an encouraging smile, pleased with the way she handled Zahra's fussing. "Even if it's just a friendly spar, the only difference from a real fight is that we're not trying to kill our opponents."

"You're kidding." Lucy said, staring at Aura in disbelief.

The men gave a loud cheer as Caspian dodged a blow from Edmund, spun on the balls of his feet and thrust his sword at the Just King, only for it to be blocked as well.

"Nope." Aura said with a dainty shrug and turned her attention to the duelers, who laughed gaily without breaking the rhythm of their deadly dance.

Lucy shook her head in amazement and turned back to her brother and friend, watching the duel with a smile on her face. The Valiant Queen wasn't surprised that Aura knew how to fight, the way the blonde carried herself showed that the grace didn't just come from ballroom or freestyle dancing, but rather from a far deadlier dance as well – one that had her very life hanging in the balance. She was more surprised by the information that Aura's sparring matches, though friendly like Caspian and Edmund's, resulted in bruises and injuries. She wondered what kinds of injuries Aura had received.

"What kind of injuries have you gotten from sparring?" Lucy asked curiously.

Before she could answer, Aura's attention was drawn to the men as the cheering became louder, Caspian and Edmund performing a complicated twist of movement that ended with Caspian's blade at Edmund's throat and Edmund's blade at Caspian's abdomen.

The two Kings were met with a raucous applause by the men and the two women, the baby cheering happily without really knowing why.

"You've grown stronger, my friend." Caspian complimented Edmund, meaning every word.

"Seems I have." Edmund remarked, grinning at the older King.

"Let's see, broken nose, fractured jaw, dislocated shoulder, broken wrist with the same arm fractured, skull fractures, concussions, broken legs, dislocated joints..." Aura listed thoughtfully in answer to Lucy's question, looking up at the Crow's Nest as she tried to remember her injuries.

She didn't realize that the men had turned to her when she began listing, Lucy telling them what the blonde was doing, and their expressions becoming more and more shocked.

"Oh, and I nearly dislocated my spine once." Aura said, looking back at Lucy and noticing the shocked expressions on everyone's faces. "What?"

"All that from sparring?" Lucy asked numbly.

"Yeah." Aura said, shrugging. "Then again, I learned how to fight dirty."

She hopped off the hull and went to the side, grabbing two cups and filling them with water before returning to Caspian and Edmund, handing them the cups.

"You know how to fight?" Edmund asked curiously, accepting the glass with a nod of thanks.

No one was under the misconception that she couldn't fight because she was a woman, Susan and Lucy had often fought alongside their brothers in battle - though Susan preferred staying behind to take care of things at Cair Paravel and Lucy was often the designated medic. For those who lived in Narnia, it was required for everyone to know at least the basics of handling and caring for weaponry. It was the individual's choice if they decided to continue with their weapons training to obtain personal mastery's after succeeding with the basics.

"Yeah." Aura replied, nodding. "Mum and Dad were adamant I know how to defend myself."

"Why not have a match between yourself and either King Caspian or King Edmund?" Caprius, a Satyr, suggested in a deep voice looking at Aura.

"I don't know." Aura said hesitantly, looking at the men around her. "Like I said, I learned to fight dirty. For me, it was always about sending my opponent to the hospital, at the very least."

"Look at it this way, my Lady, we need to know how capable you are in a fight. We are aware of Queen Lucy's ability to handle herself in a fight, but we do not know of yours. It would ease our minds to know you can defend yourself." Rynelf said calmly, earning nods and comments of agreement from the other crew members.

"Okay, fine." Aura conceded, looking at the two Kings. "I'll try not to cause any injuries, but fair warning; I break something, it's not my fault."

She and Edmund went to the middle of the deck, the crew moving back to give them room.

"Here." Caspian said, handing Aura his sword.

Aura looked at it for a moment before looking up at the tall man. She sighed and took the sword, testing the balance in her hands. Caspian stepped back against the hull and picking Zahra up, holding her against his hip.

"Okay, I haven't actually handled a sword since before I got pregnant." Aura said. "I'm more of a Bo-Staff wielding woman rather than a sword wielding woman. Though I do wield daggers on occasion."

For several seconds, Edmund and Aura circled each other, the blonde holding her sword with one hand and her skirt with the other, revealing the high heeled sandals and anklets on her feet.

"You have your Bo-staffs with you?" Edmund asked, lunging at her without warning, aiming his sword point directly at her abdomen in an obvious attack.

"Yup." Aura chirped, turning to the side and dodging the sword, bringing her own in front of her with the point down to prevent Edmund's sword from touching her skin.

As they performed their complicated and deadly dance, moving around the ship deck, Edmund couldn't help but be amazed at the skill the blonde possessed. Aura seemed to glide with her blade in her hand, her movements firm and nimble despite the long skirt and the high heels she was wearing combined with the jewelry. She was constantly moving, using her entire body as a weapon in a manner that Edmund had never seen before. She stunned not only the Just King, but the rest of their audience as well with Zahra providing a mix of incoherent encouragement and commentary.

"I think it would be safe to assume that Aura can hold her own in a fight." Rynelf said faintly, his eyes wide and his jaw threatening to drop open.

Naurus, a Faun, nodded numbly, staring wide-eyed at the blonde woman.

There was a cry of exclamation as Aura dodged a swing of Edmund's sword by grabbing hold of a rope that hung from the Crow's Nest pillar and swinging herself upwards and out of reach of the blade. She proceeded to let go of the rope a few feet from the floor and land in a crouch, one hand on the wooden floor for balance while the other held her blade up.

"You're good." Edmund panted, becoming winded from the duel that had carried on for over 15 minutes.

"So are you." Aura said, not at all winded as she ran towards him abruptly and swung her sword at his right side.

Edmund immediately brought his sword up to defend his right side, only to be stunned in shock when Aura let go of her sword, dropped to the ground and swept his legs out from beneath him with a swipe of her own leg.

Edmund fell on his back with a grunt, his sword flying out of his hand and being caught by Aura. The Just King stared at Aura in amazement, the blonde picking up her sword and holding both at his neck, completely impressed with her skill.

"I was wrong earlier." Edmund panted, slowly getting to his feet once Aura removed the blades from his neck. "You are not good, you are amazing."

There was a round of raucous applause from the crew, louder than the applause Caspian and Edmund had received when they dueled.

"All right, back to work." Drinian called from the upper level of the bow beside the steering wheel.

The crew returned to work as ordered, though not before commenting to Aura on her skill, earning them a delicate blush from the blonde.

"You said you hadn't handled a blade since you became pregnant?" Caspian asked, his surprise clear on his face and handing her a cup of water with his free hand, the other holding Zahra firmly on his hip.

"Yeah." Aura said, nodding as she took a long sip before handing the cup to Edmund to drink. "Though I prefer Bo-staffs or daggers to swords."

Zahra babbled happily, clapping her hands delightedly. She reached out her arms to Aura, wanting to be held by her mother. Aura smiled and took the girl, holding her close as she hopped up to sit on a barrel by Lucy's legs.

"You said you had your Bo-staffs with you?" Edmund asked in confirmation while Caspian walked away to join Drinian at the wheel.

"Yeah. They're strapped to my legs." Aura replied, patting her thigh with one hand.

"How did you learn to fight like that?" Lucy asked. "I know you had said you learned to fight dirty, but that was incredible."

"And with none of the injuries you said both sides receive." Edmund added with a grin before wincing when he leaned back against the hull. "Except maybe the sore back."

"Well, I tried to make sure I didn't hurt you." Aura said, looking at Edmund. "Which took a lot of effort, by the way."

Aura grinned at the Just King, receiving one in return. The grin faded as she sighed, letting Zahra down to the floor and turning to look out at the sea that surrounded them. Zahra toddled away, eventually making her way to Caprius who was helping another sailor with some tasks.

"Aura?" Lucy probed, seeing the faraway look on the blonde's face as she gazed out at the sea.

"Hmm?" Aura asked, turning to look at the teenager. "Oh, right. You had asked how I learned to fight like that."

"Yeah." Edmund said nodding, exchanging a look with Lucy, both siblings wondering what had caused Aura to space out.

"Having dozens of assassination and kidnapping attempts on you before you become a teenager will prompt any parent to ensure their child can defend themselves." Aura said softly, looking back out at the sea. "I am the daughter of the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Navy and a powerful business tycoon. I was constantly being used as a bargaining chip by terrorists and insurgents against my father." She looked at the siblings, seeing the wide-eyed shock on their faces. "Don't worry, I'm quite used to it." She smiled at them and turned around, facing the deck and watching as the crew went about their duties, Zahra 'helping' as much as she could – mostly standing by a crew member and babbling before wandering to another member and repeating the process. "Anyway, because of the repeated attempts, my parents were adamant we learn how to defend ourselves, my aunts, uncles and family friends following suit with their own children. We were all taught by Special Forces soldiers, my father asking them to teach us and they willingly agreed."

"Wow." Edmund breathed, looking at the blonde in a new light.

He had quickly realized that the blonde had been through a lot, but he never realized just how much. He had the feeling that there was more to her past that she hadn't revealed, also wondering about Zahra's father since she didn't wear a ring on her left hand to indicate that she was married.

"Aura, can I ask you something?" Lucy asked after several minutes of silence.

"Sure, what's up?"

"Don't take this the wrong way, but… are you married?" Lucy asked curiously. "I noticed you aren't wearing a ring on your left hand."

"No, I'm not married." Aura replied. "I'm a single mother."

"What about Zahra's father?" Edmund asked curiously.

"It's just Zahra and I." Aura said vaguely, her tone implying her reluctance to elaborate.

Edmund and Lucy exchanged looks, instinctively knowing there was more to it but let the matter drop. They realized that it was probably too soon for Aura to talk about her personal life with them, considering they had just met, even if it felt like they had known her forever.

The hours passed and the day drew on, the sun progressing across the sky. Caspian and Aura eventually found themselves leaning against the hull on one side of the ship, both watching Zahra's progress around the deck as she babbled away happily to the crew. Aura and Caspian began talking quietly, starting with Zahra's progress around the ship and the voyage they were on before slowly moving towards more personal topics – Caspian talking about his childhood, his parents and the fight against his uncle while Aura talked about her own childhood, losing her birth parents when she was young and being raised by her aunt and uncle, whom she also called 'Mum' and 'Dad', before their untimely passing a year earlier. While she had also told him that she was a single mother after he had asked, she didn't mention anything further and he changed the topic when he saw the pain on her face.

As they spoke, each telling the other things they wouldn't tell people they had known for years, Caspian had to keep reminding himself that the beautiful blonde saw him as just a friend. She wasn't ready for a relationship of any sort, and Caspian knew that there would come a time when she would have to leave Narnia, leave him and return to her world, just like the Pevensie siblings. However, that didn't keep him from realizing that although he had only known her for a few hours, what he felt for her was much, much stronger than he had ever felt for Susan. With Susan, what he felt was a mix of awe, respect, fascination and admiration. What he was beginning to feel for Aura was much different, it was a mix of admiration, respect as well as a strong desire to protect her and Zahra, cherish every moment he spent with them and ease the pain that shadowed Aura's beautiful eyes.

Zahra eventually wandered over to the two of them, drawing them out of their conversation, rubbing her eyes and yawning every few seconds. She tugged Aura's skirt and lifted her hands up, silently asking to be carried.

"Someone's ready for sleep." Aura said with a light laugh.

She picked the baby girl up and began walking the length of the ship, rubbing her back. Aura adjusted Zahra so that the baby rested her head on Aura's chest and listening to the older woman's heartbeat.

"She looks exhausted." Caspian said walking beside Aura and looking down at the baby who was slowly falling asleep to the rhythm of her mother's heartbeat.

The King had the basket of old sheets that Drinian had given Aura to refashion into bandages, having brought them over at some point during the pair's conversation. Aura had given them a cursory look while still talking to Caspian and decided that they would need to be washed first before she could take them apart, receiving the go-ahead from the King, who was curious to see how the blonde would refashion and make use of the materials they had deemed useless.

"Yeah, it's been a long and exciting day for her." Aura replied with a smile.

"Well, she has been very helpful." Caspian said with a chuckle.

Aura giggled, knowing that most of the 'help' Zahra had given was excited and incoherent babble. Despite that, the baby also provided the crew with endless amusement and entertainment, from sending Aura into a frenzy when Zahra did something she wasn't supposed to (causing Caspian to calm the blonde down) to genuinely trying to help the crew even if it was just passing items from one member to another.

"So how are you managing the responsibilities of being King?" Aura asked, resuming their conversation.

"I'm not going to deny that it's a lot of hard work and very challenging." Caspian said as they leaned back against the hull once more. "But it's worth it seeing the change I am able to bring." He chuckled and nudged her side with his arm. "Days like today with surprise visitors appearing in the middle of the ocean make it all the more exciting."

"I'm sure it does." Aura said, chuckling lightly. She looked down at Zahra and saw that she was fast asleep, her breathing completely even. "Okay, I need to take her inside and let her sleep on the bed."

"Why not let her stay in your arms?" Caspian asked curiously, following Aura as she made her way to the Cabin. "You seem to like having her in your arms. And I won't deny that you have no shortage of people who would love to hold her."

"True, but she'll get too used to it." Aura said, a hint of regret in her voice. "Trust me, the last thing any of us want is for her to become clingy. Whoever she clings to won't be allowed to do anything if it would require her to be put down."

"I'll take your word for it." Caspian said with a grin.

He stopped at the door, holding it open and watching the blonde to go inside the Cabin and tuck the little girl into the large bed with pillows surrounding her before emerging once more, a few minutes later.

"Look who's awake." Aura said, walking out of the Cabin and closing the door behind her.

She gestured behind Caspian, who turned around and saw Eustace emerge from the crew's quarters below deck, looking mildly irritated.

"This'll be fun." Aura said, recognizing the stubborn expression on the blonde boy's face. At Caspian's questioning look, she said, "Wait for it."

"I see you're still talking nonsense, the two of you." Eustace said to his cousins, the two Royals sitting by the hull and talking about Aslan's Country.

"Are you feeling better?" Lucy asked him.

"Yes, no thanks to you." Eustace replied with a scowl, leaning back against the hull next to Edmund and crossing his arms over his chest. "It's lucky I have an iron constitution."

"As effervescent as ever, I see." Reepicheep said, climbing the rope nets behind Lucy and stopping in one of the square grids, looking at the scowling blonde. "Find your sea legs?"

"Never lost them. Simply dealing with the shock of things." Eustace explained defensively. "Mother says I have an acute disposition, due to my intelligence."

Edmund, who had taken a sip of his water, choked when he heard the end of Eustace's statement. Lucy giggled at Eustace' remark and her brother's reaction to it.

"I don't think he has a cute anything." Reepicheep said to Lucy, misunderstanding the scowling boy's comment.

Aura clamped her hand over her mouth trying to stifle her giggles, though her shoulders shook with the effort. She had to turn her and bury her face in Caspian's arm to keep her giggles muffled.

"I'll have you all know, as soon as we find civilization, I'm contacting the British Consul." Eustace snapped angrily, walking away from his cousins and the Mouse. "Have you all arrested for kidnapping."

Eustace, busy looking at his cousins and the Mouse as he gave his threat, didn't see where he was going and walked into Caspian's broad chest, the King making a point to stand in the scowling boy's path. Aura, whose giggles had faded the moment she heard Eustace's words, looked at the boy with her arms crossed over her chest and a delicate golden eyebrow raised.

"Kidnapping, is it?" Caspian asked in a Kingly tone. He looked down at Eustace who hurriedly stepped back away from the powerful man. "That's funny. I thought we saved your life."

Caspian looked down at Aura as if to confirm his comment and she nodded in confirmation.

"You held me against my will!" Eustace exclaimed angrily.

"Ha!" Reepicheep laughed with a roll of his eyes, standing on the barrel beside Lucy's legs and leaning against the hull.

The crew, who had been drawn by Eustace's shouts, looked at the blonde boy with amusement and exasperation on their faces. Aura sighed and shook her head, going to a barrel beside the ship's hull and sitting on top of it.

"Did I?" Caspian asked, a smile playing on his lips.

He shifted slightly without realizing, moving to stand beside Aura while leaning against the hull.

"In, what I must say, are the most unhygienic quarters." Eustace continued, his tone becoming shriller with each passing moment. He pointed to the hatch that led to the crew's quarters below deck. "It's like a – It's like a zoo down there!"

"He's quite the complainer, isn't he?" Reepicheep asked.

"He's just warming up." Edmund groaned, an exasperated expression on his face.

"Regardless, if he wakes Zahra up, there'll be hell to pay." Aura said, leaning around Caspian to look at the Just King. "Not only from me, but from Zahra herself."

Unfortunately, Aura's comment to Edmund drew Eustace's attention to her and he sneered while taking in her attire and 'dolled up' appearance.

"What are you wearing?" Eustace asked, sneering at the amount of skin the blonde was revealing. "And why are you wearing all that jewelry?"

"It's called a lehenga." Aura replied, looking at him and swinging her legs gently, the anklets on her bare feet tinkling lightly on the ocean breeze.

She had removed her sandals at some point during the course of the day, saying that as much as she loved the height boost they gave her, she wasn't very eager to break her neck if her feet got caught in the ropes and netting that lay around the floor when she wasn't looking. Unfortunately, with her tiny feet, there weren't anyone's shoes she could borrow – even on Earth, she had to have her shoes custom made because of the small size of her feet.

"Why does it show so much skin?" Eustace asked contemptuously. "You look like a-"

"Eustace!" Lucy exclaimed scandalized, cutting Eustace off and staring at her cousin with wide eyes at his comment.

"Finish that sentence I will hit you." Edmund threatened, pushing off the hull and stepping towards Eustace warningly.

Caspian stepped forward threateningly as well, anger welling up inside him, held back only by Aura's tiny hand on his arm.

The rest of the crew gave threatening looks at the boy and he stepped away in fear, suddenly realizing that insulting the blonde woman wasn't going to fly over very well with everyone on board, regardless of what he thought about her.

"It shows skin because that is the way it was designed." Aura said calmly, looking at Eustace without moving her hand away from Caspian's arm. "And I'm wearing this jewelry because it once belonged to my birth-mother, and as such, I'm not comfortable removing it."

Just as the last time she had said what the jewelry meant to her, a shadow of sorrow and pain crossed her face. Caspian, seeing the look, covered the hand resting on his arm with his own larger hand reassuringly.

"Land ho!" Rynelf called from the Crow's Nest before anyone could say anything.

Caspian let go of Aura's hand and bounded up the stairs, standing beside Drinian. The rest leaned over the sides of the ship, trying to get a look at the landmass that had been spotted. Aura sighed wistfully, looking out in the distance.

"Aura, what's wrong?" Lucy asked, hearing the sigh and seeing the wistful look on the pretty blonde's face.

"Oh, nothing much." Aura sighed. "I just put Zahra to sleep so there isn't much chance of my going to explore if that's the plan."

"Why not?" Edmund asked curiously.

The blonde had been excited and amazed for most of the day, why would Zahra being asleep mean she wouldn't be able to go? Wouldn't it mean the opposite?

"Edmund, Zahra's asleep. I can't go off and explore, leaving her alone." Aura said, rolling her eyes at the Just King.

"She wouldn't be alone." Caspian said, coming back down the steps and standing behind Aura. His words caused the blonde to look up at him with a questioning look. "If we do go to explore, there will still be crew members on board the ship. I'm sure they wouldn't mind looking after Zahra."

The King's remark was punctuated by nods and words of agreement from the crew, all of whom adored the sweet little girl even though they had only met her earlier that day.

"That may be so, but I have no idea if she would be fussy or if she would be in a good mood when she wakes up. Though I am eternally grateful for the offers." Aura said with a sigh, patting Caspian on the arm, looking around the King's larger frame at the crew members she could see. She turned back to look out at the speck of land in the distance, adding sarcastically, "The only way I'm getting off this ship while Zahra's asleep is if I'm carried off."

Preoccupied with looking out at the sea, she didn't see Edmund and Caspian exchange thoughtful looks, with the crew exchanging similar looks as well.

 _Notes: I don't really know how British Navy ranks their officers. I am trying to show that Aura is the daughter of one of the highest ranking members, a reason that would explain why she was constantly facing the threat of kidnapping and assassination as well as the reason she would be taught how to fight._


	6. The Lone Islands – Taken Captive

**The Lone Islands – Taken Captive**

The sun was hanging low in the sky by the time the Dawn Treader came close enough to the landmass for it to be recognized as an island. Aura, who had been inside the King's Cabin for the past several minutes checking on Zahra, walked out onto the deck to see Lucy talking to Reepicheep.

"The young Lady still asleep?" Reepicheep asked Aura when he saw her.

"Surprisingly, yes, she is." Aura replied, walking up to him and Lucy. "Though I am a little concerned that it might mean she won't sleep through the night. Anyway, has Caspian decided what the plan is regarding the Island?"

"Not yet. He's up on the bow with Drinian, Edmund and Tavros." Lucy said, gesturing to the upper level of the bow where the two Kings, Tavros and Drinian were.

Before Aura could say anything in response, Caspian came down to the deck as Tavros turned around and looked out at the crew.

"Man the longboats, furl the sail and prepare to drop anchor." The Minotaur said in his mighty voice, the call sending the crew into action almost instantly.

"I guess this means there's going to be a landing party." Aura said with a sigh, a small pout playing about her lips.

"You can still come Aurelia." Caspian said, coming up to stand beside the blonde. "Zahra's still asleep and there will be crew members on board to look after her."

"Indeed, my Lady." Reepicheep added. "You previously expressed the desire to explore."

"Unfortunately, being a Mum comes before being an explorer." Aura said with a smile, looking at the noble Mouse.

"My Lady, I am staying behind on the ship. I would be honored to look after your daughter while you join the landing party." Pittencream said, walking up to Aura.

"I know you would, Pittencream, but the truth is, I have no idea how she'll be when she wakes up." Aura said regretfully as Edmund walked up to them and Lucy quietly filled him in on the conversation. "The fact that she was friendly and happy throughout the day is a surprise in and of itself."

"Your Majesties, the longboats are prepared." Tavros called.

Edmund and Caspian exchanged looks, remembering Aura's comment several hours earlier.

"Do you have bottles for her to feed from?" Edmund asked, seemingly randomly.

"Yeah, they're on the dresser in the Cabin. I've already put the formula inside them, all that needs to be done is add the lukewarm water to the top." Aura replied. "Why?"

"No reason." Edmund said with a shrug, exchanging looks with Caspian.

Aura frowned at the Just King, wondering what he was up to.

"What are you – AHHH!" Aura started, only to cut herself off with a scream when Caspian picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. She flailed for several seconds before wrapping her arms around his broad hips to steady herself, her long hair coming over her head and creating a curtain. "Caspian! What are you doing?!"

"You said it yourself, the only way you're getting off this ship while Zahra's asleep is by being carried off." Edmund said, a wide smirk on his face.

"I was being sarcastic!" Aura screamed as the crew laughed raucously. She let out a breath, blowing the curtain of hair away from her face. "Fine, you win."

"Great." Caspian said with a grin, not making any move to let her go. "Tell Pittencream everything he needs to know and remove your jewelry."

Lucy ran into the State Room and emerged several seconds later with the small chest that had once contained her healing cordial and dagger. Aura let out a huff of breath, raising her head so that she could look at the designated babysitter.

"Here, you can put your jewelry in this." Lucy said, holding the chest open in front of Aura.

"Okay. Pittencream, Zahra's bottles are on the dresser in Caspian's Cabin." Aura began, removing her jewelry set, bangles and the jeweled bindi from her forehead, putting them in the open chest as she spoke. "They are already filled with the required formula. All you need to do is heat some water, pour it into the bottle, and let it cool slightly before giving it to her. You know how to measure lukewarm against your skin?" Pittencream nodded. "Okay, good. To cool the bottle, just put it in a bowl or pot of colder water and leave it for a few minutes. If, for whatever reason, she finds it too hot, she will push the bottle away giving you the indication that something's not right. If it's too hot, unscrew the lid and blow on the contents gently a few times. Don't put it back in the cold water. If she doesn't want the milk, but is still fussy, then try giving her some food from the small food jars. All you have to do is shake the jar before opening it and use a clean spoon to feed her. Only open one, because once they're opened they need to be finished within a specific amount of time otherwise they have to be thrown out."

"Why is that?" Lucy asked curiously, the others giving similar sounds of confusion.

"I'll explain later." Aura replied, getting nods of agreement. "If she's not hungry, then just walk around with her, play with her, basically do what everyone had been doing the entire day. When she wakes up, she may be a bit clingy and just wanting to be held, just hold her and walk around with her. She may even fall asleep again, that's fine. I just changed her diaper, so she should be fine on that front as well."

"How will I know if she's hungry?" Pittencream asked.

The landing party, minus Caspian, Lucy and Edmund, got into the longboats and prepared to descend into the water.

"Believe me, you'll know." Aura said. "She'll cry continuously and start mouthing at your chest."

"Okay." Pittencream said with a nod.

"Told him everything?" Edmund asked, a touch of sarcasm in his voice.

"I told you, kids are a lot of work. Even for only a couple of hours." Aura said, a glare directed at the Just King, putting the last of her jewelry, bobby pins and ruby hair sticks in the chest, resulting in her hair falling around her in a curtain of gold curls.

She left her anklets on her bare feet, since they wouldn't be seen from beneath her skirt, not to mention she was still being carried by Caspian.

"Okay, okay." Edmund said, raising his hands in surrender. "Let's get going."

Lucy ran into the King's Cabin and put the jewelry chest away securely, knowing that Aura would rather the chest be in their shared room rather than in the Stern Cabin, before running back out. Caspian carried Aura to the longboats and gently set her down in one, getting in and sitting down beside her, Lucy and Edmund following seconds later and sitting on the other end of the same boat. Eustace sat in front of his cousins, a scowl etched on his face.

Without any further delay, they were descended into the water where the pairs of rowers and Tavros rowed them towards the Island.

"So, which Island is this?" Aura asked several minutes after they began moving through the water.

"The Port of Narrowhaven." Caspian replied. Aura began combing through her golden curls with her fingers, smoothing them out and tying her hair back into a 3-strand braid. "The Lone Islands."

"You have your Bo-staffs?" Edmund called to Aura.

"Yeah." Aura called back, pausing her braiding and patting her thigh where her Bo-staffs were hidden by her skirt.

"What are Bo-staffs?" Caspian asked curiously, angling his body to face Aura and looking down at her.

"They're a type of staff used in Martial Arts, a style of combat where we're from." Aura explained, tying the braid off with a strip of leather Caspian handed her. "My pair of staffs are specially designed to retract and extend to varying lengths, depending on the situation. They can also retract into a portable form that is no larger than the tip of my middle finger to the heel of my palm."

"Fascinating." Caspian said interestedly. "And you keep them on your person at all times?"

"For the most part, yeah." Aura replied, nodding. "The best thing about them though is that they're safe enough in case Zahra gets her hands on them. There's no way she can injure herself, unless she whacks herself with them."

"Has she ever done that?" Edmund asked curiously, once again speaking loud enough to be heard across the longboat. "Whacked herself with them?"

"Oh, yeah. Repeatedly." Aura replied with an exasperated eye roll. "Then again, you saw how she was throughout the day, she's incredibly inquisitive and curious. She's always getting into things she's not supposed to, trying to explore and discover."

"She truly is a jewel, my Lady." A crew member said earnestly, looking at Aura.

"Yeah, she's the light of my life." Aura said with a smile, a shadow of pain crossing her face as she looked out at the water. She didn't see the concerned looks exchanged between the Royals and the crew members who had seen her face.

"What's with the scowl on Eustace's face?" Aura asked Caspian quietly a few minutes later, pitching her voice so that he was the only one that heard her. "He seems almost petulant."

"After you went inside the Cabin to check on Zahra, Reepicheep had an important discussion with Eustace about the importance of respecting his elders." Caspian replied just as quietly, smiling mischievously.

"You're kidding!" Aura exclaimed, bursting out with laughter and holding on to the King next to her to keep her balance.

The news she had been given, and the sheer amusement at the thought of it, had Aura forgetting the memory of her pain as she laughed freely.

"Nope." Caspian said chuckling lightly, his arm around Aura so that she wouldn't fall. "And considering he's the youngest aside from Zahra, he has to respect everyone on the ship. Zahra too, since she won't let him get away with being rude to her."

"I'm almost afraid to ask, but what'll happen if he doesn't follow the rule?" Aura asked, her laughter slowing down to giggles.

"Edmund gets to throw him overboard." Caspian replied in a very serious voice.

Aura stared at him for a moment before bursting out into laughter once more, the peals echoing over the water.

"Oh my Gods, you're serious?" Aura asked once she had managed to stop laughing.

"Very serious." Caspian replied chuckling.

"Oh, my." Aura breathed, shaking her head in amusement.

Their laughter had the two of them receiving confused looks from the others on the boats since they couldn't hear the conversation. Neither paid any heed to the confused looks, lost in their amusement and laughter, Caspian also pleased that he could erase the shadow of pain from Aura's eyes, however briefly it could last.

By the time they reach the port half-an-hour later, the shadows cast by the slowly setting sun were lengthening further.

"Onward! The thrill of the unknown lies ahead." Reepicheep said enthusiastically as they pulled up to the port and he jumped off the boat.

Caspian picked Aura up by the waist and lifted her out of the boat before getting out himself.

"Why thank you, kind sir." Aura said with a smile, looking up at the King.

"You're very welcome, my Lady." Caspian replied, a small smile of his own etched on his face.

"Couldn't this have waited till the morning?" Eustace asked in a tone of complaint as a crew member helped Lucy off the boat.

"There is no honor in turning away from adventure, lad." Reepicheep said, turning to look at the boy.

"Listen." Aura said, straining her ears and following Caspian carefully up the slopped steps that led away from the docks and into the main city.

"Where is everyone?" Lucy asked, realizing the same thing as Aura.

"Come on, jelly legs." Reepicheep said, rolling his eyes and holding a tiny paw out to the scowling boy who was struggling to get out of the boat without assistance.

"I'm quite capable of doing it myself." Eustace snapped, getting one leg out of the boat and stumbling, landing flat against the dusty stone with an 'Oof!'.

Reepicheep sighed and rolled his eyes, Eustace's cursing drawing the others attention.

"And you're certain he's related by blood?" Caspian asked disbelievingly, looking between the scowling, cursing boy and the two Royal siblings.

"Unfortunately." Edmund said with a groan as they began cautiously making their way up the slopped steps.

"Everyone, spread out." Caspian said, holding his crossbow at the ready while several crew members did the same.

Without conscious thought, Caspian angled himself so that he was protecting Aura while she angled her own body to protect Caspian's back. Both scanned their surroundings with sharp eyes trained by differing experiences that resulted in a common denominator – both were absolutely lethal and had the powerful desire to protect each other from harm, even if they weren't consciously aware of it.

While the Narnian King and the European woman were unaware of their subconscious actions towards each other, the rest of their comrades were very aware of it.

"Three guesses on who they're trying to protect, and the first two don't count." Edmund whispered to Lucy, gesturing to the pair cautiously moving forward in front of them.

Lucy rolled her eyes and nudged her brother in the side, though she couldn't help but agree with his near sarcastic comment.

Aura found the silence that almost echoed around them to be unnerving. For a woman who was so used to sound and noise, especially after the birth of her daughter, the silence sent tingles down her spine, causing her senses to be on high alert. She had a dagger lent to her by Rynelf in one painted hand and a Bo-staff in the other, her thumb on the release mechanism and ready to extend it at a moment's notice.

A sudden ringing of a bell pierced the air, sending a flock of birds soaring into the sky. The Dawn Treader's landing party whipped around at the sound, weapons raised, those that hadn't initially drawn their weapons doing so immediately. Aura scanned her surroundings and moved slightly so that her back was pressed against Caspian's, the King raising his crossbow and aiming it in the direction the birds took off from.

Caspian lowered his crossbow slightly and began moving up the slope once more, Aura following, shifting unknowingly so that she was just behind his arm.

"Reepicheep, stay here with Drinian's men and secure the place. We'll head on." Caspian ordered. "If we don't come back by dawn, send a party."

"Yes, your Majesty." Reepicheep said, sheathing his sword and bounding away to do as ordered.

"Aura, this could be dangerous." Caspian started, stopping in his tracks in the archway that led into the city and turning to the blonde beside him.

"Caspian, I'll be all right." Aura said reassuringly, speaking softly so that only the Narnian Royal in front of her could hear her words. "If I'm going to a part of your voyage, a part of your crew, then I will do the best I can. And besides, I have someone waiting for me back on our ship. I'm not about to let her down."

She smiled up at him, not realizing that she had called the Dawn Treader 'their' ship rather than Caspian's ship as she had called the voyage and the crew.

Caspian looked down at Aura, staring dead straight into her large silver grey eyes, searching for any hint of hesitance or uncertainty. What he saw was worry and fear at what they may face, but no hesitancy or uncertainty about facing any possible adversity.

"Okay." Caspian conceded with a sigh. "But promise me you'll be careful."

"Only if you promise the same." Aura responded.

"I promise." He said instantly.

As Caspian had been staring searchingly into Aura's eyes, Aura was looking into his soulful warm brown ones. What she saw in his orbs – the fear and concern for her wellbeing, for her safety - had her silently vowing to herself to ensure she remained safe, if only so that she would never see those pained emotions on his beautiful features again.

"I promise." She replied, less than a second later.

"Sorry to break up your discussion, you two. But we do need to head on, don't you think?" Edmund asked quietly, turning to look at the pair a few feet behind him, Lucy and Eustace.

"Good point, let's get going." Aura said, turning and beginning to move forward. "Be careful, you guys."

Edmund and Lucy nodded in acknowledgement and the small party of five moved forward on silent footsteps, each of them alert for any sign of trouble – the three Royals and Aura moving in synchronized unison while Eustace trailed behind them.

Walking through the city, they were hyper-aware of their surroundings and of each other's presence. Aura and Caspian were particularly aware of each other.

On one side of the street, there was a large wall that rose several stories high with a single door in the very middle, presumably leading to the tower building that rose even higher behind it – the tower building they had seen from the docks that had emitted the sound of the ringing bell. On the other side of the street, were rows of homes, each seeming to be in various stages of disrepair with every opening (windows, doors etc.) boarded up.

At one point, while the three Monarchs and Aura approached the door that led to the tower building, Eustace broke away from them and peered into one of the homes through the boarded windows.

"Yeah, it looks like nobody is in." Eustace called to the quartet several seconds later, moving away from the home and trying to erase the image of what he had seen from his mind – the scared family that huddled in the corner, seeming to silently plead for help. "Do you think we should head back?"

His call drew the others attention and they looked at him for a moment before resuming their silent approach on the door. Edmund however, turned and looked at his cousin.

"Do you want to come here and guard… something?" The Just King asked his cousin, coming up with a random idea to keep the boy occupied while the four of them searched the area.

"Ah, yes." Eustace agreed, hurrying to his cousin. "Good idea, cousin. Very, uh… logical."

Edmund grimaced and turned around, stepping up to the entrance and joining Lucy, Aura and Caspian. Caspian and Aura exchanged looks and the Narnian King stepped towards Eustace.

"Here." Caspian said with a bemused expression, withdrawing a dagger from his belt and handing it to the boy.

Aura could tell that Caspian clearly didn't think that Eustace knew how to handle the blade or use it. She was proven right when Eustace took the dagger and held it gingerly, blinking owlishly as Caspian turned back around.

Aura sighed and turned to look at Eustace, stepping towards him.

"Please be careful. And try not to do anything stupid." Aura cautioned the boy reservedly before turning on the balls of her bare feet and rejoining the Monarchs.

"I've got it, I've got it." Eustace said, trying to reassure them as Edmund pushed against the wooden door to open it. "Don't worry."

The four turned back to look at Eustace, the boy turning his back to them as he held the dagger up and looked around expectantly.

"Okay, now I am worried." Aura muttered quietly.

Caspian glanced down at her and made an agreeing noise while Edmund turned back and pushed open the door. Entering the building, they found themselves in a very dark and medieval looking chamber with dozens of large bells hanging low from the high rising vaulted ceiling at the very top of the tower, arched windows equally high on the walls allowing sporadic shafts of light inside and white-stone states of crowned men standing several feet tall stationed along the walls, leading to a mantle at the very far end of the chamber.

"I guess this is where the bell sounded from." Aura commented, looking around the chamber, her eyes reactively adjusting to compensate for the darkness that surrounded them. She tightened her grip on her dagger, putting the Bo-staff back in her thigh holster to leave her with one free hand, uneasy in the dark stillness of the chamber. "What is this place?"

Edmund took his torch and flicked the switch, adding more light to their surroundings and leading them towards the mantle, Caspian, Aura and Lucy continuously scanning their surroundings. Despite the additional light, it did nothing to ease the eeriness of their surroundings and Aura unconsciously stepped closer to Caspian.

"Um, I'm ready to go when you are!" Eustace called from outside, his shaky voice carrying through the open door.

"It looks like a place of worship of some sort." Edmund said. "Caspian?"

"That may be so. It's a mystery, even to me." Caspian admitted looking around, staying no more than half a step away from Aura.

Edmund approached the mantle first, shinning his torch on the mantle, revealing the large leather-bound book that was open and filled with lists upon lists of names, most of which were crossed out.

"Who are all these people?" Lucy asked interestedly, looking at the names.

"And why have they all been crossed out?" Edmund asked, interest warring with curiosity.

Aura looked at the lists closely, her brow furrowed.

"It looks like some kind of… fee." Lucy added, pointing at the column that held numbers beside each name.

"Slave traders." Caspian and Aura said in unison, working it out at the same time.

Both recognized the practice, Caspian remembering his lessons from when he was a young boy while Aura remembering the reports she had once seen of a human slavery ring that an international joint task force had been formed to take down, her eldest brother and his unit representing the British Royal Navy.

Before either of them could elaborate on the conclusion, or Aura could explain how she was able to work it out, the bells rang above them. They looked up, Edmund shining his torch to give them light, each wondering why the bells were chiming of their own accord. They didn't have to wonder long as before the bells even stopped chiming, several men dropped down from the ceiling on ropes, each one cackling madly and looking ready for a fight.

"Look out!" Caspian called in warning, raising his crossbow and shooting the first man that caught his eye, who was still descending from the rope and sending him to the ground where he fell still.

Aura swung her dagger with deadly precision, hitting a man that approached her with a gleaming blade in his sword arm, causing him to scream and cover the wound with his free hand. Not giving him a moment to recover, she quickly punched him in the face with the heel of her palm thrusted upwards and broke his nose. The man stumbled back, dropping his sword and grabbing his nose. With both her assailant's hands otherwise occupied, Aura lifted her skirt with her unarmed hand and kicked her assailant, sending him backwards where he stumbled into a statue and hit his head, rendering himself unconscious.

Aura picked up the man's sword and swung it at an oncoming opponent, blocking the blow he aimed at her. He swung again, and she ducked, swiping his legs out from under him and sending him to the ground, landing flat on his back. She crouched beside him and hit him with the hilt of her dagger, sending him into oblivion. She rose to her feet and was quickly attacked by two men. Using the sword with one hand and the dagger with the other, she battled both with deadly accuracy while taking advantage of her small size to remain nimble and light on her bare painted feet, continuously moving.

"Aura, duck!" Caspian yelled, not breaking his own deadly dance of blades against an assailant, proving that he wasn't one to be trifled with.

Aura, not thinking twice, immediately crouched down to the ground, her knees bent with her hands curled around her blades and supporting her body against the dusty ground that she was barely an inch away from. She looked up and saw a dagger embed itself in the torso of one of her attackers, sending him to the ground. Taking advantage of the stunned look on her second attacker's face, Aura swept his legs out from under him and sent him hurtling to the ground as well, his head hitting the stone when he landed and knocking him out.

Caspian battled his way to Aura, the blonde on her feet and, in addition to the dagger, was using her arms and legs with lethal accuracy to combat her opponents, having given up using the sword. The two fought back to back, somehow using their different fighting styles in unison as they protected each other from the onslaught of dirty men.

Lucy and Edmund, despite their young ages, made use of the knowledge and experience they had gained during their 15-year reign as they battled their attackers. As opposed to the first time they were young, the Royal siblings now had the advantage of knowing how to handle their blades as well as the stamina to continuously battle their opponents. Stamina they had worked hard to maintain while they were in England.

"AHHH!"

The fight that lasted only a span of several minutes, came to an abrupt stop at the scream and everyone whipped around to the source of the sound.

Eustace.

He was brought in to the building by another man, dressed more finely than their attackers, holding Caspian's dagger at the boy's throat. The man let the door close behind him with a 'clang', the sound resonating around the room.

"Unless you want to hear this one squeal like a girl again…" The man said, moving a shaking Eustace forward with the dagger still firmly held against his throat. "I'd say you should drop your weapons."

"Like a girl?" Eustace repeated affronted, for a moment forgetting the sharp blade held at his throat.

"Now!" The man ordered, pressing the blade against Eustace's neck, causing the boy to still in fright.

Lucy dropped her sword, letting it slam to the ground with a frustrated expression on her face. Caspian gently lowered his sword, never letting his gaze stray from the new arrival, Aura doing the same with her dagger beside him.

"Eustace." Edmund growled, glaring at the boy and dropping his sword.

"Put 'em in irons." The man ordered.

The men that had attacked the party, the ones who were still standing at least, moved forward and clasped chains around their wrists.

"Come here, you." A man said, a bruise developing along one side of his face courtesy of a well-placed rabbit punch from Aura. He was also moving with a mild limp from an equally well-aimed kick to the groin, again courtesy of the deadly blonde.

The finely dressed man lowered the dagger from Eustace's throat and grabbed the boy's ear, holding tightly and causing the boy to let out a shout of pain.

"Put your eyes back in your head." Aura snapped at the man putting the cuffs on her delicate wrists while being held in place by another man, a fierce glare on her beautiful face when she caught the lustful leer she was being given. Another man was clamping another set on Caspian's broader wrists, the King glaring just as fiercely as he was held in place. "Or would you like a bruise on the other side of your face to compliment the one you already have?"

The man squeaked in response and moved back, far away from the reach of Aura's deadly limbs.

"Get your hands off of me!" Lucy shouted, struggling against the grip one man had on her while another clamped the cuffs on her wrists.

"Let's take these three to market." The man holding Eustace ordered, pointing at the boy, Lucy and Aura with the dagger.

"No!" Caspian shouted, struggling against the tight hold the men had on him.

"Let me go, you bastards!" Aura shouted, wriggling against her captors as she was pulled towards Lucy and Eustace, being held by three men as they had realized how lethal she was.

"Send those two to the dungeons." The man continued, pointing to Caspian and Edmund, ignoring the shouted protests.

The two Kings were dragged in the opposite direction of Lucy, Aura and Eustace, both struggling against their captors' grip.

"Listen to me, you insolent fool!" Caspian shouted as he was being dragged. "I am your King!"

"Let go of him!" Aura screamed, struggling against the grip her captors had on her.

"Oh, she's a mouthy one." One of the men holding Aura said, looking at her lustfully. "They'll like that."

"Careful, she's feisty as well." One of the men that Aura had fought said with a wince, a hand on his bleeding arm from where she had sliced him with his comrades' own sword.

"Makes them more fun to break." Another man holding Aura said with a smirk, running his dirty hands down her side and savoring the smooth expanse of her exposed skin.

"Don't touch her!" Caspian, Edmund and Lucy shouted in unison.

"Let go of me!" Aura screamed, increasing her struggles against her captor's hold.

She kicked her legs at her captors, managing to land a hit in one of her captor's groin while head-butting the one directly behind her with the back of her skull, breaking his jaw. Both men let go of her instantly – one stumbling backward and holding his jaw with both hands while the other fell to the ground with a pained moan.

Unfortunately, the actions earned the blonde a backhanded slap from the remaining man holding her. The force of the blow would have sent her flying if not for the grip the man had on her arm, though it nearly wrenched her shoulder from its socket.

"You're going to pay for that." The Narnian King growled, glaring at the men with more anger than either Pevensie sibling had ever seen in him before. Even learning of the truth behind his father's death and facing Miraz didn't ignite the kind of fury they were now seeing in him.

"Actually… someone else is going to pay." Another man said, stepping into their line of sight, smiling maliciously at the furious Narnian King. His attire signified him as a more significant person than the rest, even the one who gave the orders to the men that attacked the Monarchs and Aura. "For all of you."

"No! Edmund! EDMUND!" Lucy screamed as they were being dragged away in different directions.

"Caspian! CASPIAN!" Aura yelled, once more being held by two captors with a bruise forming on her milk-white and rosy cheek.

"LUCY!" Edmund shouted in fear.

"NOO! AURELIA!" Caspian shouted as the three were dragged out of the building and out of sight.

Finally fed up with the struggling Kings, their captors hit them with the hilts of their swords, sending them into unconsciousness.

As he unwillingly surrendered to oblivion, Caspian vowed that he would find Aura, no matter what and bring her back to the sweet baby girl who was waiting for her back on board the Dawn Treader.


	7. The Lone Islands – Held Captive

**The Lone Islands – Held Captive**

Aura, Eustace and Lucy were taken to the other side of the dock and secured to a stone wall by iron neck shackles with another set binding their wrists and ankles, firmly keeping them from escaping. Once they were secured, they were left alone, their captors believing that they wouldn't be able to escape. The three of them were next to each other, with Lucy between Eustace and Aura, while along the wall beside the blonde were other prisoners secured in the same fashion. However, while Aura, Eustace and Lucy had a few bruises, the two women more so than the boy from their struggles against their captors, the other captives were in much worse shape.

What had really startled Aura was that the prisoners were not only humans. There were Fauns, Dwarves of varying descents and a number of other beings all firmly secured along the wall.

"You had one task, Eustace, one task!" Aura exclaimed in irritation, pinning the boy on Lucy's other side with a fierce glare. "All you had to do was keep a low profile! But nooo! You managed to get yourself taken as a hostage and used as leverage against the rest of us!"

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Eustace moaned before bursting into tears.

Lucy sighed and put her head on her bent knees, not even bothering to try and mediate between the two. She knew that the emotion driving Aura was not the irritation that was clear in her voice as she berated the blond boy, but the worry and concern in her heart for her daughter who was waiting on board the Dawn Treader.

"I know, Eustace." Aura said softly with a sigh, letting out a frustrated breath and blowing a lock of her golden hair that had escaped its tight binding away from her face. "I'm sorry too. For getting angry with you. I'm just worried about how Zahra is doing. And about Caspian and Edmund. The Gods only know what condition they are in right now."

"We just have to hold on until dawn." Lucy said quietly, pitching her voice so that only Eustace and Aura could hear. "Don't forget, Reep and Drinian will send a party if we're not back by dawn."

"I remember." Aura sighed, resting her head against the stone wall behind her. "I just can't help but wonder what they're going through right now."

"I'm so sorry, Aura. I didn't mean for any of this to happen." Eustace moaned, no longer crying but the tears still prominent on his pale freckled face.

"I know, Eustace." Aura said, looking at the distraught boy and seeing the honesty in his face. "Let's just pray that the two of them are safe and we can get out of this mess, yeah? I'm still upset with you, and I probably will remain so until I know that Caspian and Edmund are safe and I have Zahra in my arms."

Eustace nodded tearfully, accepting the older woman's words. He may have thought less than kind things about her manner of dress when he saw her, but even he had realized just how important her daughter was to her. He had also realized that there was something in the blonde woman's past that resulted in the ever-present shadow of pain in her eyes that only seemed to fade when she was with Zahra or with Caspian.

"Try and get some rest." Lucy said. "One way or another, tomorrow is going to be a long day."

The other two nodded and settled back, each trying to relax and get some rest. Each knew they wouldn't be able to sleep, but they could at least give their bodies a chance to regain some much needed strength so they could face what the next day brought them.

The night passed slowly and as dawn broke over the Lone Islands, Caspian returned to consciousness with a groan.

The first thing he realized was the putrid scent that hung in the air. The second thing he realized was that he was laying back on a pile of straw that was bundled in a corner, the only thing keeping him from touching the filthy floor. The third thing he realized were the event that led to him being put in the dungeon to begin with.

A dungeon so filthy and putrid that even the worst the Universe had to offer would fight to the death to escape.

Caspian shot up into a seated position, absently noticing Edmund still unconscious on a pile of straw next to him. Guilt ate at the Narnian King, knowing he was the one who had put Aura on the boat and ultimately putting her in this mess.

"Finally awake, are you?" A strangely accented voice said from his side, an accent that was similar to Edmund and Lucy's accent.

Caspian turned and looked at the person the voice belonged to, seeing a handsome male, obviously human, with dark chestnut brown-black hair, bright blue eyes, aristocratic looking eyebrows and a chiseled face. Beneath his strange looking clothes – a tunic of sorts that had once been red with silver buttons and breeches that weren't baggy but not form-fitting either that had once been white – Caspian could tell that the man before him had a well-muscled build and was no stranger to hard physical work.

Something about the man reminded Caspian of Zahra. At the memory of the sweet girl waiting for her mother, he looked at the man beside him.

"Is there any way out of here?" He asked frantically, shooting to his feet and inspecting the dungeon that had been created within the rock that the Island was made of. In one corner, there was a large leather bag with a large black case next to it.

"I've been here for roughly a day or two, but I haven't found a way out." The man replied honestly, moving to check on Edmund. "And before you ask about the bag, it has baby supplies and the case has mine and my best-friend's music instruments. I was restocking my god-daughter's supplies when I was brought here."

"There must be a way out." Caspian growled, deciding to cut to the chase and kick at the metal door that kept them inside their prison.

The metal didn't budge but Caspian kept kicking at it, growing more and more frustrated as time went on. He was adamant about getting out, desperate to save Aura, Lucy and Eustace, though it was Aura who was at the forefront of his mind as he kicked at the door relentlessly.

It was to this relentless kicking that Edmund awoke almost half-an-hour later. The Just King sat up with a groan, a hand on his head while a gentle hand helped him sit up.

"Take it easy. Easy." The strange man said.

"You all right?" Caspian asked Edmund, noticing that he was awake and stopping his relentless kicking for a moment.

"Yeah." Edmund said with a groan and getting to his feet, helped by the strange man.

Caspian resumed kicking the door, with the same result as he had when he started – none whatsoever.

"You've been at it for over an hour, can you stop?" The blue-eyed man asked irritated, looking at Caspian.

"I have to get out of here!" Caspian growled, still kicking at the door. "They're out there, and I have to save them."

"Who are you?" Edmund asked the strange man, unknowingly taking in the same thing about him that Caspian had – the physical appearance, the strange clothing, the accent that was similar to his own and the way he seemed to remind the Just King of Zahra.

"I'm Mathew." The man, Mathew, replied. "Mathew Whitehall."

"I'm Edmund Pevensie." Edmund said before gesturing to a still kicking Caspian, "That's-"

"It's hopeless." An elderly voice called from the darkness further inside the cell, cutting Edmund off. "You'll never get out."

Mathew sighed when he heard the voice while Edmund and Caspian, who had finally stopped kicking the door, looked towards the sound cautiously.

"And he's been saying that since I got here." Mathew informed the two Kings.

"Who is he?" Caspian asked Mathew softly.

"I don't know." Mathew replied with a sad sigh. "All I know is that he's an elderly man who's been here for years."

"Who are you?" Edmund called into the darkness that shrouded the voice, deciding to go straight to the source.

"I'm nobody. Just the voice in my head." The voice said sadly.

Caspian, almost recognizing something in the voice, moved closer to the sound. He stopped when he came to a dip formed in the ceiling and, using the shaft of light that filtered in through the barred window, he saw the face of the man that spoke to them.

An elderly man with long matted grey hair and an equally long and matted grey beard. His aged eyes were weary and sunken with the passing of the years he had seen.

For a moment, the elderly man and the young King looked at each other – the man seeing the face of someone he knew long ago while the King looked past the aged and weary appearance to see the face of someone whom he knew long ago.

"Lord Bern?" Caspian asked, only a fraction of uncertainty in his voice.

"Perhaps once." Lord Bern responded, a flash of surprise crossing his face at being called by the title he once held. He lowered his head, hanging it in shame as he added, "But I am no longer deserving of that title."

Caspian looked back at Edmund and Mathew who were watching the scene with differing expressions – Edmund with dawning realization while Mathew just looked confused.

"Is he one of the Seven?" Edmund asked in confirmation.

Caspian nodded in response and stepped carefully towards the Lord of Telmar, crouching down so he was eye-to-eye with the elderly Lord.

"Your face…" Lord Bern breathed, looking at Caspian through squinted eyes. "You remind me of a King I once loved well."

"That man was my father." Caspian said gently, a small smile on his face as he heard the compliment to his beloved and dearly missed father.

Mathew looked more confused than before, wondering what was going on.

"Hold on, he's a King?" Mathew asked Edmund in confusion, gesturing to Caspian.

"Yes, we both are." Edmund replied, nodding.

"Oh." Mathew said, stunned. He shook his head and frowned. "What are the two of you doing in here, then?"

"Oh, my Lord." Lord Bern said before Edmund could reply, beginning to tremble. "Please forgive me."

The ancient man tried to kneel on shaking knees before the crouched King.

"No, please." Caspian said kindly, catching hold of the elderly Lord's arms and helping him stand. The last thing Caspian wanted was to put the man in any more unnecessary pain. "Please."

"NOOOO!" A woman screamed. "NOOOOO!"

Hearing the scream, Edmund ran to the wall and climbed up, looking out through the barred window and out into the streets. He didn't know that Aura, Lucy and Eustace were witnessing the same thing he was from where they were secured with the other prisoners.

"Helaine!" A male voice yelled.

"Mummy!" A little girl yelled.

Edmund watched as a horse-drawn cart was driven through the streets by a slave trader with half a dozen people seated inside, each one chained. Behind the cart, two more slave traders jogged at a steady pace, the same men that had captured Edmund, Caspian, Aura, Lucy and Eustace the night before.

A man frantically ran behind the cart, reaching out to the woman at the very back of the cart and holding tightly while fighting off the traders that were pulling him away. Behind him a little girl followed as fast as she could on her shorter legs, calling 'Mummy!'.

"We have to do something." Aura said urgently, wriggling her dainty wrists against her shackles.

She had been trying for the past hour to slip her hands out of their bindings, and not making much headway.

"Get back!" A trader shouted, pulling the man away from the cart and punching him.

The blow sent him to the ground, making him lose the momentum he had previously and could only watch as the cart was pulled further and further away.

"Stay with Daddy!" The woman yelled to the little girl, desperation and fear in her voice.

"There's nothing we can do, Aura." Lucy said helplessly. "There's no way out of these chains. You've been trying for over an hour."

"Don't worry!" The man yelled to the rapidly distancing cart carrying his wife, getting to his feet with his daughter behind him. "I'll find you!"

"Ugh." Aura growled in frustration, stopping her wriggling and resting back against the wall. "I wish I had my bobby pins and lock-picking kit."

"You have a lock-picking kit?" Eustace asked her incredulously, momentarily sidetracked from the frantic scene they were witnessing.

"Yeah. But it's in my bag, which is on the ship." Aura replied with a growl. "I can't even use my Bo-staffs with these shackles on."

Back in the dungeons, Caspian joined Edmund on the wall and looked out below, having been drawn by the increasing screams. Mathew stayed back, exchanging helpless looks with Lord Bern, already knowing what the two Kings were going to witness.

The two watched as the captives were pulled out of the cart and manhandled into longboats before being sent out towards the open sea. Both were silently praying that Aura, Eustace and Lucy were not among the captives.

"Where are they taking them?" Caspian asked Lord Bern and Mathew.

"Keep watching." Lord Bern said.

He and Mathew knew that the Royals would need to see it with their own eyes to truly believe what was happening on the Lone Islands, indeed Mathew had to witness it himself before he believed it.

In the dungeon and secured with the prisoners, Caspian, Edmund, Lucy, Aura and Eustace watched with wide-eyed horror as thunder sounded and the sky darkened, bringing billowing clouds across the sky that had been clear and cloudless only moments earlier. A Green Mist slowly appeared a few feet away from the boat, inching towards the helpless captives who screamed in fear.

"What's going on?" Aura asked Lucy, the only one of the three who had been to Narnia before.

"I don't know." Lucy whispered fearfully, unable to tear her eyes away from the scene before them.

The Mist moved towards the longboat, picking up speed as it got closer. Within seconds, the Mist had surrounded the boat, completely obscuring it from sight with only the captives' screams being heard before they were silenced. When the Mist disappeared with the captives seconds after the screaming was silenced, it took with it the dark clouds as well, leaving the sky clear and cloudless once more.

"What happened?" Caspian asked, completely confused.

"It's a sacrifice." Mathew said with a heavy sigh.

He was a doctor, a Medical Examiner granted, but the fact remained that he had taken an Oath to preserve life, so seeing the lives of the innocent Islanders being used so carelessly by the slave traders affected him greatly even though he had only been there for 2 – 3 days at most.

"Where did they go?" Caspian asked, turning his head to look at the two other prisoners.

"No one knows." Mathew replied, shaking his head and folding his arms, the screams of the captives ringing in his ears.

"The Mist was first seen in the East." Lord Bern began explaining as the two Kings stepped down from their perch on the wall and looked at him. "Reports of fishermen and sailors disappearing out at sea. We Lords made a pact… to find the source of the Mist and destroy it. They each set sail… but none came back."

"If they don't sell us to the traders, they will likely feed us as sacrifices to the Mist." Mathew said gravely.

The two Kings exchanged worry and fear-filled looks, realization dawning as to just what Aura, Lucy and Eustace were likely to face.

"We have to find the girls." Edmund said, worry and fear warring for dominance on his features. "Before it's too late."

As Edmund and Caspian came to their horrifying realization, the two women in question were approached by a trader. The man smiled maliciously as he roughly unchained Aura from her spot on the wall, two others unchaining Eustace and Lucy.

"Let go of her!" Lucy yelled, struggling against the man holding her.

"That was Lucy!" Edmund cried in alarm, he and Caspian running back to the wall and climbing back up to look out through the window.

"Let go of me, you dirty ingrates!" Aura yelled, fighting against the hold and managing to land a few kicks to the man holding her.

"I know that voice." Mathew said quietly to himself with a look of surprise on his face. His words went unheard by the two Kings and the elderly man a few feet away from him. "But that's not possible."

"Now little lady, don't go trying to fight or your comrades will pay the price." The man warned Aura with a slight groan from the kick she had landed to his inner thigh, the traders holding Lucy and Eustace held daggers to their throats.

Instantly, Aura went still, her large eyes wide as she took in the sharp blades held at Lucy and Eustace's throats. Seeing her compliant, the men dragged her, Lucy and Eustace to the middle of the makeshift market place – a raised stone platform that resembled a stage in the middle of the square with dozens of men surrounding them and eyeing the 'prizes' with various looks ranging from maliciousness to lustful.

When Aura was put on the stage, standing on top of a block of stone that would give her additional height and allow her to be seen clearly by the crowd, a fierce glare was etched firmly on her face. The glare was aimed primarily at the crowd before her, mainly consisting of men who were giving her lustful looks; they ran their dirty gazes over her toned figure and the exposed expanse of her milk-white skin. As soon as she was on stage, the men didn't even wait for the auctioneer to call a start to the bidding before they began naming prices.

"120!"

"150!"

"200!"

As the bids got higher and higher, Aura's glare became fiercer and fiercer.

"Oh, this is not going to end well." Caspian moaned, seeing the glare on Aura's face and its steady progression from fierce to furious the higher the bids became.

Edmund voiced his agreement. They may not have known Aura for more than a day at most, but they did know that the woman could be scary if pushed too far – just like any mother would be.

"Who is it?" Mathew asked curiously, not having seen the woman and was still sanding back with Lord Bern.

"A friend of ours." Edmund replied, not looking away from the scene he was witnessing through the barred window.

"600 for the lady!"

"Any more bids?" The auctioneer asked when there was a pause following the final bid.

There was a pause following the auctioneer's call, and when no one gave a higher number, he took a sign saying 'sold' and put it around Aura's neck.

"Sold!" He announced as the money changed hands from the buyer and into his own.

The auctioneer roughly grabbed Aura by the arms, lifting her off the stage and to the side while Lucy was put onto the stage. He started the bidding, and just like with Aura, the bids quickly rose.

The man who bought Aura, a middle aged man dressed in flowing robes of fine silk with an equally fine silk turban, grabbed her and pulled her towards him, running his hands over her body.

"I am going to have such fun with you." The man leered.

"Drop dead, you ingrate!" Aura snapped, glaring at him.

The men that surrounded them roared with laughter at her comment and her buyer, becoming red with anger and embarrassment, slapped her across her face. The force sent the blonde bending forward for a second before she straightened up, holding her head high and her shoulders back, not letting the man see her any emotion other than fury and extreme dislike.

"I bid 80." A buyer called from the crowd, looking at Lucy.

"Congratulations. Do you feel like a man now?" Aura asked in a tone that would be called diplomatic if it wasn't for the patronizing sarcasm that dripped from each word.

The man looked at her completely stunned, disbelief and anger warring on his features as she sneered at him before turning around and looking at the stage. The laughter from the other traders and buyers had him wanting to react to the woman's insolence, teach her a lesson she wouldn't soon forget, but he was frozen in his place.

"100 for the little lady!" Another buyer called, the one that had also tried to buy Aura but was outbid.

Unable to do anything to Aura, at least not while still in the market, her buyer growled angrily and turned to the stage, vowing to teach this woman her place the moment he had returned her to his home.

"You will pay for your insolence, wench." The man growled angrily to her, turning his attention to the stage.

Aura didn't respond, but silently prayed that Drinian and Reepicheep had sent the party and were going to mount a rescue soon.

"120." Another buyer said.

"150." The man who bought Aura called.

"Any more bids?" The auctioneer called, and hearing none, he put the sold sign on Lucy's neck and lifted her roughly off the stage, putting her next to Aura.

"You all right?" Lucy asked the short blonde, seeing the bruise forming on her cheek, adding to the one she had received the previous night. The buyer went forward and paid for his new purchase.

"Yeah." Aura replied before adding with an angry growl. "But the moment I'm free of these shackles I am going to kick him where the sun doesn't shine."

Down in the dungeons, Caspian, Edmund, Lord Bern and Mathew were cuffed once more and roughly pushed out of the cell. Mathew was muttering angrily the entire time, vowing that he would make them pay for imprisoning them. Behind him, Caspian and Edmund vowed the same.

"And now, for this fine specimen…" The auctioneer called, picking Eustace up and putting the trembling boy on the raised stone block. There were mutters that spread through the crowd, none of whom impressed with what they had seen. "Who'll kick off the bidding?" The crowd looked at each other, none willing to kick off in case they ended up with the boy. "Come on now, he may not look like much, but, uh, he's strong."

"Yeah, he's strong, all right." A man called from the crowd. "He smells like the rear end of a Minotaur!"

The remark caused a ripple of laughter to spread through the crowd, while an affronted expression crossed the boy's face.

"Don't say anything, Eustace." Aura muttered, noticing the affronted look on the boy's face.

"That is an outrageous lie!" Eustace shouted offended. No one insulted his personal hygiene and got away with it. Aura groaned in exasperation as Eustace continued, "I won the school hygiene award two years running."

Another ripple of laughter spread through the crowd and the auctioneer turned to the crowd.

"Come on, someone make a bid!" He called.

"I'll take them off your hands." A familiar male voice called as a hooded man stepped forward. Aura and Lucy looked at each other and grinned, recognizing the voice. "I'll take them all off your hands!"


	8. The Lone Islands – No Longer Captive

**The Lone Islands – No Longer Captive**

The hooded man removed his cloak revealing Drinian with Reepicheep on his shoulder, the Mouse having been the one who spoke. Several other robed men in the crowd removed their coverings, revealing the rest of Drinian's men.

"For Narnia!" Reepicheep called, the Captain's men echoing the cry.

The very next second, chaos erupted in the market. The crew, Aura and Lucy began battling the traders and crowd of buyers, Caspian, Mathew and Edmund joining the fray without hesitation. Reepicheep made his way to Lucy and Aura, taking down a trader in the process, before using his deadly needle-like sword to unlock the women's chains one after another.

Aura, once her shackles were removed, blew a kiss to the noble Mouse before proceeding to remind the traders just who gave them the most injuries the previous night. She removed her Bo-staffs from her thigh holsters and extended them to the same length as her forearms, using them to defend herself against the blades of the traders that advanced on her.

"Thanks Reep. I knew you'd come." Lucy said to the Mouse once her shackles were removed.

"Your Highness." Reepicheep said with a bow before slicing his sword at the hand of a trader that was frantically trying to pack the money that had been handed to him for the captives.

Lucy grabbed the hand of the man that reached out to her and flipped him over her shoulder, before grabbing a book from the table behind her and using it to knock him out. With the book still firmly in her hands, she pivoted on her feet and hit another man that approached her.

"Very nice, Lucy." Aura said with a grin, spinning on the balls of her bare feet and hitting two approaching men with each of her staffs, one blow aimed at the head with the other aimed at the adjacent side. "Very graceful."

"Thank you." Lucy replied with a grin.

Aura grinned at her before it faded and her eyes grew wide at something behind the Valiant Queen.

"Duck!" Aura shouted.

Without thinking twice, the teenaged Queen did as ordered and crouched to the ground, the blonde jumping over her with a ferocious cry and hitting the man that tried to attack her from behind.

"That was for attacking Lucy!" Aura yelled, after hitting the man, the one who had bought her, in the side with her staff. She hit him on the other side. "That was for hitting me!" She punched him in the face, breaking his nose "That was for buying me like I was property!" Finally, she kneed him in the groin and sent him hurtling to the dusty ground with a pained moan before falling still. "And that was for feeling me up!"

Lucy, who had straightened up at one point during Aura's rant, stayed back and watched the blonde take their buyer to task for what he had done.

"Aura, he's knocked out." Lucy said finally when the blonde kicked the man's prone figure.

"Yeah, I know." Aura said, letting out a breath and turning to the Valiant Queen. "Get the keys and free the other captives. They can help with the fight, Gods know they have more reason than we do to be furious with this lot."

Lucy nodded and grabbed the keys from a nearby unconscious trader, hurrying to the captives and proceeding to free them one after another. The moment each one was freed, they jumped into the fray with renewed vigor, driven by their desire to avenge their harsh treatment at the hands of the vile traders. The Islanders, who had remained hidden until then, also joined the fray. Some used actual combat skills while others used their surroundings or furniture to attack the men that had claimed their Island and made them prisoners in their own homes.

Aura scanned the frenzied crowd, subconsciously trying to find Caspian. Seeing him on an upper level of the market, she battled her way towards him, dodging a man that the King had sent sailing through a boarded window.

When the man got to his feet, she whacked him with her staff and sent him stumbling towards Caspian who had jumped through the opening he had made in the previously boarded window. Caspian backhanded the man, sending him back towards Aura, who punched him in the face and broke his jaw with one powerful move.

"Hi." She said with a grin, looking at Caspian once the man they were fighting fell to the ground.

"Hi." He replied looking at her with relief, stepping towards her and drawing her into a tight hug. He pulled back, his arms still around her waist and a look of concern passed his face when he saw the bruise on her cheek. "What happened?"

"The man who bought me wasn't too happy when I told him to drop dead." Aura replied with a shrug. "He hit me, at which point I insulted his manhood." Caspian's eyes widened in surprise when he listened to her response. "Don't worry, he's currently unconscious somewhere."

Aura smiled radiantly up at him, looking absolutely angelic despite the fact that she had just admitted to insulting a man twice before sending him into oblivion.

"Remind me never to make you angry." Caspian said faintly, rabbit-punching a man that approached them from behind.

"Okay." Aura chirped cheerfully.

She held his hand with one of her own so they weren't separated while using her legs to land powerful kicks at the men that approached them. Caspian did the same, holding her painted hand with one of his own while kicking and punching their oncoming opponents.

The two performed a deadly dance, completely in-sync with one another – one would attack while the other defended before switching. The combination and movements were so synchronized and rapid that their opponents couldn't land a single hit on either of them – both driven by the desire to protect the other from harm.

Eventually, the traders were all unconscious or dead and the pair rejoined the rest of the landing party in the middle of the market.

"Thank Aslan you're okay." Lucy cried.

She rushed forward and wrapped Aura in a hug as soon as she saw her.

"You too, Lucy." Aura said with a smile, hugging the teenager back just as tightly.

"Aurelia, there's someone I want you to meet." Caspian said, gently pulling Aura away from the Valiant Queen. "He was with Ed, Lord Bern and myself in the dungeon and I've asked him to join us."

He guided the blonde to the dark-haired man who had his back turned to them and was talking with Edmund. The man had his bag, the same bag he had told Caspian and Edmund contained the baby supplies for his god-daughter, slung across his chest with the instrument case held over his shoulder by the short handle.

"Mathew, this is-" Caspian started, his voice causing the man to turn around.

The moment his gaze fell on Aura his eyes widened in surprise, Aura mirroring his expression when she caught sight of him.

"Aura?" Mathew said in surprise, inadvertently cutting the King off.

"Mathew?" Aura said in equal surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean, 'what am I doing here'? What are you doing here?" Mathew asked in response. "You're supposed to be in England!"

"So are you! What's in the bag?"

"Supplies. Where's Zahra?"

"Supplies for who? On the ship. What instruments are in the case?"

"For Zahra. With who? Violin and flute."

"What do you mean supplies for Zahra? Pittencream. Why do you have a violin and a flute?"

"Baby supplies you had asked me to pick up the other day along with the flute and violin that had been dropped off for tuning. Who's Pittencream?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. A crew member."

"How can you forget that you asked me to get something for your baby? Of what?"

As the two verbally sparred back and forth, holding two separate conversations with each other simultaneously, they didn't realize the confused expressions on the faces of the crew that surrounded them, as well as on the faces of the three Monarchs.

"I've been a little busy. What were you able to get? The ship."

"I can see that. Diapers, formula, bottles and diaper shirts along with your lingerie. What ship?"

"Thanks. The Dawn Treader. Why do you have my lingerie?"

"You're welcome. Picked up the dry cleaning as well."

"Oh, thanks. How'd you end up in Narnia?"

"Welcome. No idea. One moment I'm going into the nursery store room to put this stuff away, and next thing I know, I'm in a dark room that is not a baby's nursery store room. I go outside and I find the traders who wasted no time in knocking me out while I was still confused. You?"

"One moment I'm getting ready to go back downstairs and the next my painting erupted and tried to drown me. I ended up in the middle of the ocean with Lucy, Edmund and Eustace and we were pulled on board the ship."

"I take it you two know each other, Dr. Aura?" Reepicheep asked when the two paused to take breath, standing on Drinian's shoulder and drawing the pair's attention back to them.

"Yes, Reep." Aura said with a bright smile.

Mathew looked at the Mouse with his head cocked to the side.

"He's a mouse." The blue-eyed Brit said faintly, only just really realizing that there were Fauns, Minotaurs and Mice around him.

"Yes Mathew, Reepicheep is a Mouse." Aura said, looking at him.

"Okay." Mathew said with a nod, as if accepting impossible things like Talking Mice, Minotaurs and Fauns was an everyday occurrence.

"Aurelia, how do you know each other?" Caspian asked, looking between the two.

He wasn't jealous, recognizing the look in each of their eyes as the same one that Edmund and Lucy had for each other – the protective love one had for their sibling, or someone who is loved as a sibling.

"Mathew is my best friend and Zahra's godfather." Aura replied, subconsciously moving to stand beside Caspian. In response to her movement, Caspian shifted ever so slightly so that he was facing her while still being ready to protect her at a moment's notice.

"So Aurelia's the one behind the relentless kicking." Mathew said knowingly, looking between Aura and Caspian as he saw the movements the two made.

"Don't call me Aurelia." Aura said with a dangerous glare aimed at Mathew before frowning in confusion. "And what do you mean 'relentless kicking'?"

"Your boyfriend here relentlessly kicked the door of the dungeon we were in." Mathew explained, completely ignoring the exasperated 'he's not my boyfriend' that Aura aimed at him. "For over an hour, he would not stop kicking."

"Really?" Aura asked, looking at the suddenly uncomfortable King who was rubbing his ear awkwardly and shrugging sheepishly. She looked back at Mathew and shrugged. "Well, I relentlessly kicked the man that bought me and Lucy."

Mathew groaned and face-palmed at the blonde's reply, the move being mirrored by Edmund, Lucy as well as a good portion of the landing party.

"You completely missed the point Aurelia." Mathew said in exasperation, looking at the blonde.

Aura raised her eyebrow, her jaw ticking with annoyance and without warning, extended her Bo-staff once more and whacked the blue-eyed man in the side.

"OW!" Mathew exclaimed, jumping away from the blonde when she moved to hit him again. "What was that for?!"

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me Aurelia?!" The blonde shrieked, completely forgetting that Caspian called her by that very name only a few minutes earlier.

Edmund, Lucy, Caspian and the landing party stepped back, giving the suddenly furious blonde a wide berth.

"Okay, what about Golden Flower? What if called you that?" Mathew asked with a grin, expertly jumping out of reach of the furious blonde's kick.

"How many times do I have to tell you to call me Aura? Not Aurelia and certainly not Golden Flower!" Aura shrieked, moving to hit him again only for Caspian to dart forward and wrap his arm around her waist, holding her back. "Caspian, let me go! I'm going to hit him so hard he'll be feeling it for a century!"

Mathew stayed out of Aura's reach, panting heavily as the furious blonde struggled in the King's arms.

"Why don't we go back to the ship and you can hold Zahra in your arms again?" Caspian suggested calmly, realizing what was driving the blonde's ire.

Instantly, Aura calmed down and sagged against Caspian's chest.

"Yeah, let's go." She said softly as Caspian wrapped a comforting arm around her waist and held her close.

Mathew let out a sigh of relief when he saw that the blonde had calmed down. He had already realized that the woman was being driven by the knowledge that she hadn't seen her daughter in several hours, combined with the knowledge that if it hadn't been for the timely arrival of Reep and Drinian with their men, she would never have seen her beloved child again.

They left the market square without further delay and were met with cheers by the Islanders as they walked through the streets and back towards the docks.

"They look so happy. So relieved." Mathew observed of the cheering crowd, walking beside Lucy.

The two were behind Caspian, Aura and Edmund while Drinian was on Lucy's other side and the rest of the party behind them. Several members of the group carried baskets of supplies, given to the by the grateful Islanders to aid them on their voyage out at sea.

"Well, we did just save them from slave traders that virtually made them prisoners in their own homes." Edmund pointed out with a grin, talking over his shoulder to his sister and their once cellmate-turned-friend. "I'd be happy too, if I was in their position."

"We still have a long way to go, though." Caspian said heavily, his thoughts racing as he pondered on the events of the day and what they had learned. "We have to find out what happened to the people that were taken by the Mist, and try to save them."

"We will find them, Caspian." Aura said reassuringly, taking his larger hand in her smaller one and holding tightly for a moment before letting go. "We just have to stick together."

That brief touch and reassuring words were the only comfort that the King needed, letting go of the tension he didn't realize he had been holding.

"Your Majesty. Your Majesty!" A man called as he ran to the King, the same man whose wife had been fed to the Mist earlier that day.

"Hold it!" Drinian said, physically holding the man back and away from the Monarchs, Mathew and Aura.

Caspian instinctively stepped in front of Aura, his hand going to his sword while the blonde, Edmund, Lucy, Mathew and the rest of the party went for their own weapons. None of them were ready relax until they were off the Island entirely.

"Caspian, I recognize him." Aura whispered quietly, relaxing her alert posture slightly though still ready to fight if need be. "His wife was fed to the Mist earlier this morning."

"Daddy!" The little girl whom they had seen running after her father was once more running behind her father and clinging to his tunic.

"My wife was taken just this morning." The man said frantically, inadvertently repeating what Aura had said.

"I saw." Caspian whispered quietly to Aura before calling out to Drinian. "It's all right, Drinian."

"I beg you, take me with you." The man pleaded to Caspian, stepping towards the King when Drinian let him go, his daughter clinging to his tunic.

"I want to come." The little girl said, holding onto her father's arm as they resumed walking towards the docks.

"No, Gael, stay with your aunt." The man told his daughter, Gael. He turned to the King, still trying to plead his case. "I'm a fine sailor. Been on the seas my whole life."

"Of course, you must." Caspian said reassuringly, patting the man on the arm with his free hand.

"Thank you." The man breathed in gratitude.

The group moved ahead while the man stayed behind for several moments to make the arrangements for his daughter to stay with her aunt.

"My King! My King!" Lord Bern called to Caspian, coming towards them from the direction of the caves as they went down the slope and reached the docks.

Caspian stepped towards the elderly Lord while Edmund, Lucy, Aura, Mathew and Drinian came to a stop beside Caspian. The crew organized the supplies they were taking with them and filling the longboats, Rynelf making a note of what they were bringing. The Islanders that had followed them to the docks stopped on the slope and watched the proceedings interestedly.

"This was given to me by your father." Lord Bern said to Caspian, holding an old sword that had been almost entirely fossilized in his hands. "I hid it safely in a cave all these years."

"That's an old Narnian sword." Edmund said, looking at the blade.

"It's from your Golden Age." Lord Bern confirmed. "There are seven such swords, gifts from Aslan to protect Narnia. Your father entrusted them to us." He held the sword out to Caspian. "Here, take it." Caspian hesitated for a single moment before stepping forward and accepting the sword. "And may it protect you."

The observing crowd cheered when Caspian held up the sword carefully and examined it with keen eyes.

"Thank you, my Lord." Caspian said gratefully. "And we shall find your lost citizens."

Lord Bern smiled, tears in his eyes as he saw the visage of Caspian IX in the face of Caspian X. The elderly man watched Caspian walk away with Aura and Edmund on either side of him, silently thinking how proud Caspian IX would have been of his son. Lord Bern also knew that Caspian IX would have been proud of the match between the strangely clad blonde and the current King, seeing the close bond between the two and the way they seemed to be hyper-aware of each other at all times. The two may not be aware of it just yet, but they would soon realize just what their feelings meant.

Caspian looked at the sword in his hand for a moment before looking at the younger King beside him while Aura lagged behind and walked with Mathew and Lucy, the blue-eyed Brit putting his arm around her.

"Edmund." Caspian said, causing the Just King to stop and look at him curiously.

Caspian held the old sword out to Edmund who took it with surprise clear across his face. Caspian clapped Edmund on the shoulder with a gentle smile and walked ahead, the Just King holding the sword up with wonder and awe written on his face, finally feeling like a true King once more.

They climbed into the longboats without further delay, each of them eager to get off the Island and back to the ship. On the way back to the ship, Caspian and Aura sat next to each other at one end of a longboat with Mathew sitting in front of them.

While Aura and Mathew caught up on the different experiences they had since entering Narnia, Caspian listened with an amused smile, his arm around the blonde's waist. He didn't feel jealous at Aura and Mathew's closeness, the blonde having already told him everything about her relationship with the dark-haired man though she hadn't mentioned his name. He was just happy that the pain that had lingered in Aura's eyes diminished slightly, allowing the silver-grey orbs to shine a little more brightly.

On the other side of the long boat, Edmund and Lucy sat next to each other, deep in conversation about the growing connection between Caspian and Aura as well as the remarkable resemblance between Mathew and Zahra.

In the second boat, Eustace was bickering with Reepicheep to no one's surprise, while providing the entertainment for the rest when they weren't preoccupied with their individual discussions. The blonde boy was also, like everyone else, curious about the resemblance between Mathew and Zahra.

Reaching the ship, they were quickly brought on board and Aura's weariness faded the moment she caught sight of Zahra. The baby ran towards her as fast as she could with Pittencream right behind her. Aura ran forward and swept the baby girl into her arms and held tightly, taking in the soft hair and sweet scent. Meanwhile, the crew split up and went about their duties so they could leave as soon as possible, each sending fond looks at the mother-daughter pair.

"How was she?" Aura asked, looking at the Galmian crew member turned babysitter.

"She was a complete angel, my Lady." Pittencream replied with a smile. Aura raised a golden eyebrow at the response but didn't say anything as the sailor continued, "She finished the contents of a full food jar as well as half a bottle of milk."

"Thank you, Pittencream." Aura said gratefully, looking up at the larger sailor with an equally grateful expression on her fair features.

Pittencream blushed slightly, but didn't say anything in response.

"Ma-ma." Zahra said.

The words, though somewhat muffled against Aura's shoulder, may as well have been shouted at the sudden stillness that befell those on board the ship.

"Did she just…" Caspian trailed off, looking at the baby.

Pittencream looked proud of himself as Zahra repeated, "Ma-ma" and pecked a stunned Aura's lips.

"She said 'ma-ma'. Caspian, she said 'ma-ma'." Aura squealed happily to the King who came to stand beside her.

"I heard." Caspian said with a chuckle, catching the baby that literally jumped from Aura's arms and into his own.

"Zahra, look who else's here." Aura said gently, encouraging the baby to look towards Mathew. "Look, it's Uncle Mathew."

"Wow." Zahra said, reaching out to the dark haired Brit, who took her from Caspian and held her tightly.

"Hey, baby. I missed you so much." Mathew said softly, holding the baby tightly and letting Lucy take his bag and instrument case from him.

The three Monarchs and the crew left Aura and Mathew to have time together with Zahra while they quickly and efficiently prepared to leave.

Once everything was prepared and ready, Caspian rejoined the pair and the baby.

"We're ready to set sail." Caspian said gently, taking note of the changed positions the three were in – Zahra was now in Aura's arms, both females being held by Mathew.

"Great." Aura said quietly. "Let's get the hell out of here."

"Amen." Edmund and Mathew muttered in unison, earning a small smile from the tired blonde.

Quickly and efficiently, the anchor was raised and the Dawn Treader made its way out of sight of the Port of Narrowhaven, their Voyage now having an additional purpose: find the source of the Green Mist and destroy it in addition to finding the remaining six of the Seven Lords of Telmar.


	9. Revelations on the Sea

**Revelations on the Sea**

It took some time after leaving the Lone Islands before everyone was able to settle into some semblance of a routine, each with their own responsibilities. It was particularly difficult for Mathew, Aura, Edmund and Lucy, though for differing reasons. Mathew and Aura were not entirely used to the almost ancient design of the Dawn Treader, being used to the more-or-less automated systems of the 21st Century as well as the equally modern conveniences, like the washing machine. There was also the fact that everyone on board was of the firm belief that Aura had the most difficult task of all – raising Zahra – which played a heavy role in their reluctance in the blonde being given any other responsibilities. Lucy and Edmund on the other hand had an even harder time trying to find ways to be useful; with them being High King and Queen of Narnia, the crew were even more reluctant for them to do work than they were with Caspian. Mr. Rhince was easily and quickly accepted as part of the crew, received with only the slightest hint of mistrust before it quickly faded, assisting with various tasks accompanied by his experiences as a sailor and driven by his desire to find his wife and bring her home to their daughter.

Finally, after almost two days at sea, they were able to come up with ways for the four of them to contribute. Edmund and Mathew would assist the crew with maintenance, rowing and keeping watch in the Crow's Nest with Mathew also providing his medical skills whenever needed. Between the two of them, Lucy and Aura would take care of supplies, laundry, mending, rationing as well as any number of the million things that needed to be done to ensure as smooth a voyage as possible with Aura also adding her own medical skills whenever needed.

However, it wasn't just routines that had changed before settling. It was the relationships and friendships that also changed, becoming stronger and deepening. Mathew became fast friends with Edmund, Lucy and Caspian as well as several members of the crew; Aura became equally fast friends with the Monarchs and the crew, with Zahra having everyone wrapped around her tiny fingers. Aura and Caspian had also become close, always near each other as though there was an unseen magnetic force keeping them from straying more than a few feet from one another. Although, it was possible that the force could just be the 14-month old whirlwind known as Zahra Malika Braddock who refused to let the two out of sight for long periods of time, unless she was asleep of course.

Even without Zahra wanting them to stay in her line of sight, it was the small things that Caspian and Aura did that others noticed, making everyone believe that there was more than just friendship between the pair. For example, when sitting together and eating, the two would always sit next to each other regardless if there was space elsewhere; the two would always know where the other was without truly realizing it; they would keep the other in sight just as they did with Zahra, always asking about the other if they hadn't seen them in several minutes. Even when the two are deep in conversation with other people or attending to their individual tasks, they were always aware of where the other was.

The crew had also learned of Aura's past with Zahra's father as well as the reason behind Mathew's remarkable resemblance to the little girl.

It had been the day after they departed the Lone Islands…

The day was warm and sunny, the bright sun beating down on the deck of the Dawn Treader and warming the wooden planks. The crew was about, each carrying out their tasks, Drinian was at the Helm with a hand on the steering wheel with Caspian, Aura was sitting on the floor of the deck and leaning against the ship hull while doing the laundry, Lucy was sitting on a barrel next to her and mending some of the men's tunics, Mathew was in the Crow's Nest keeping watch, Edmund was sitting on a barrel on Aura's other side and working away at the fossil coating that covered the old Narnian sword while Zahra was running back and forth between each person.

Mr. Rhince, who only knew that Zahra's father wasn't on board but not that talking about the man caused Aura pain, glanced at the pretty blonde.

Aura was wearing another lehenga; this one consisting of a short cap-sleeved red blouse with silver embroidery, a white skirt with thick red and silver border and a white dupatta with a thin red and silver border*. She had her long hair tied back in a braid and the anklets on her bare feet, having decided to leave her jewelry and bindi in the chest in the Cabin her, Zahra and Lucy were sharing. Her skin was still darkened with the intricate henna designs that had been painted onto her hands and feet.

"Dr. Aura, why does Mathew look like Zahra if he's not her father?" The Islander asked curiously and noting, though not understanding, the sudden silence that fell over the crew.

Aura stopped washing the tunic in her hand and put it back in the bucket, glancing up at Mathew. They both knew that everyone was curious, but had held their tongues against asking, even Eustace doing so.

"Mathew is Zahra's uncle." Aura said finally, after several seconds. She looked up at the men that had stopped what they were doing and turned to face at her. "He is Zahra's father's twin brother. To cut a long story short, he wasn't ready to be a father and decided to focus on his career instead of his child. He walked out while I was pregnant with Zahra."

Mathew scoffed, drawing everyone's attention to him in the Crow's Nest.

"Andrew did much more than just walk out Aura." Mathew said darkly, looking down at the blonde sitting on the floor of the ship's deck.

"He was 21 and he chose his career with Interpol, Mathew. Many people choose advancing their careers over advancing their personal lives." Aura replied pointedly, returning to the laundry as the dark-haired Brit climbed down from the Crow's Nest.

Mathew growled in irritation and came to a stop in front of the blonde.

"That may be true, but not many guys do that when their girlfriend is in the hospital following a miscarriage scare!" Mathew exclaimed, barely managing to keep from shouting.

Aura's fists clenched and she shot to her feet, looking up at the taller man while dropping the tunic she had been washing back into the bucket.

"I understand why Andrew did what he did, Mathew." Aura said firmly. "I told you before and I'm telling you again, I forgave him for walking out, for cheating on me out of fear instead of just _talking_ to me. You think I was ready to be a mother? I was _19_! I had just finished medical school and had offers from hospitals and organizations all over the world!"

"That's my point, Aura!" Mathew cried in frustration. "Andrew had his career ahead of him, yes, but so did you! You made it work, despite being on bedrest, despite the miscarriage scares, despite-" He cut himself off and took a breath before continuing in a much calmer voice. "Aura, you made it work. You became one of the most sought after General Practitioners in the world, _while_ being a mother to Zahra, _while_ dealing with all our family drama and chaos. Despite everything, you made it work. So why couldn't Andrew have at least tried?"

Aura gaped at him and her eyes widened in realization as she listened to her best friend's words, finally realizing something she hadn't for the past 2 years.

"That's why you guys haven't been able to forgive him?" Aura asked quietly.

By that point, the two had completely forgotten about their audience and the fact that they were being watched with rapt attention, each person with different expressions on their faces. Each one watching felt a surge of sympathy and wonder at what the blonde had achieved at such a young age, even if they didn't entirely understand half of what was being said. However, not one of them felt any pity, knowing that to feel such would insult the strength of the beautiful feisty blonde in front of them.

Zahra whimpered at the sudden tension that permeated the air. She was in Caspian's arms at the Helm (dressed in a long sleeved diaper shirt and leggings with flat shoes) and was frightened, not liking the emotions she was feeling from the adults. Without turning away from Aura and Mathew on the deck, Caspian gently soothed the baby, rubbing his large hand over her back as she tucked her head in the crook of his neck and brought her thumb to her mouth, sucking furiously. Slowly, she began to relax in the King's arms, trusting him to keep her safe from the tension that permeated the air.

"At first, yeah, it was because he left when you needed him." Mathew said quietly, nodding. "And when we found him with that-that bimbo, he told us that he was choosing his career and enjoying his life over you and Zahra."

Mathew stopped for a moment, unable to continue and looked out over the calm ocean. He had tears in his eyes as he remembered what they had been through over the past two years, the pain and fear of losing Aura and Zahra before the baby was even born and then during delivery.

"When you were in labor, we thought you were going to die." Mathew said quietly after a few seconds, his voice echoing in the silence of the deck. "You had already flat-lined once. It had been 52 hours since your labor began, the baby was in distress and you were exhausted beyond measure and _so weak_ from pain. Dad went to Cambridge and begged him to come back to Kensington, at least to see you just once, but he refused. He was in the middle of a drug ring case and he said he couldn't leave when he was so close to a breakthrough that could lead to the take down of one of the major crime syndicates." Mathew curled his hand into a fist and slammed it on a nearby barrel in pained anger. "That moment, when we all thought you were going to die for good, he _still_ chose his career over you, Aura! _That_ is why we're all so angry with him. _That_ is why none of us have forgiven him."

Aura just stared at him, her eyes wide in shock at what she was seeing and learning having not been told the reason behind the Whitehall family's fury at their own son for his actions. She had no idea that Andrew had still refused to come and see her while she was in the hospital.

Aura's pregnancy and delivery hadn't been an easy one by any stretch of the imagination. From a miscarriage scare when she was only three months pregnant that resulted in her being put on bed rest for the remaining five months, she still had another three similar miscarriage scares during that time and ultimately spent close to 70 hours in active labor during which time she nearly died three separate times trying to bring her daughter out into the world. The initial dose of the Epidural that she had been given had worn off close to 42 hours after it had been administered, and it had been too risky to give her more or any other pain killers, so when they eventually performed the Cesarean procedure, she had felt every moment of it.

"Mathew, what happened, happened." Aura said finally, after several moments of complete silence. She went up to him and put a gentle hand on his shoulder, making him turn to look at her. "We cannot change the past. He made his choice, and I have made mine."

"How can you still hold to your forgiveness of him?" Mathew asked her, genuinely curious at how she could even with the new information she had been given.

"Because I have more important things to worry about than the man who left when I needed him most." Aura replied simply, sitting back down and returning to the laundry. She looked at him for a moment, and sang softly, meaningfully, _"I don't care if nobody else believes, 'cause I've still got a lot of fight left in me."_

"You never cease to amaze me." Mathew said softly, shaking his head.

Aura rolled her eyes and looked toward Caspian, who coaxed Zahra to look at her and wave. As everyone slowly resumed their tasks, Aura's eyes remained on Caspian as the King and Drinian also resumed teaching the youngest crew member how to steer their magnificent ship – predictably, the girl didn't understand a word and was more interested in biting Caspian's fingers to sooth her aching gums with the King giving the occasional outcry of pain when she bit him with her razor-sharp teeth.

Mathew turned and climbed back up to the Crow's Nest. He understood what Aura had tried to say with the verse of the song – she's stronger than she ever was before, and that was in part because of what Andrew had done to her. She couldn't hate him because he had made her stronger, but she also couldn't move on because he had nearly broken her. As he resumed his watch across the seas, he prayed that what he was seeing between her and Caspian was true, and that the King could help his beloved Golden Flower heal and move on.

Following the revelation, nothing really changed between Aura and the crew. If anything, they had kept a closer watch on Zahra whenever she was with them. Aura and Caspian had become much closer to each other, almost always seen together or a few feet apart at the most. Zahra had also become very attached to the King, always with him when she wasn't with Aura or 'helping' the crew members. Following their departure from the Lone Islands, the baby had unfortunately begun having a hard time falling asleep. The days at sea combined with the excitement on board during the day, plus the constant vigil in case of danger, had completely sent the baby's routine out of sync despite Aura's best efforts. Thankfully, the baby did still take naps during the day, much to Aura's relief.

The result was that Aura would often spend the nights walking the length of the deck at night, trying to get Zahra to sleep, Caspian often joining her when his own sleep would be disturbed.

It was during these nights, when it was only the night shift on duty, while trying to put Zahra to sleep that Aura and Caspian would talk and become closer.

One such night was the one that fell following the revelation of Zahra's father…

Night had fallen and Aura was once again walking the length of the Dawn Treader deck, trying to get Zahra to go back to sleep. The baby had slept for almost two hours before waking up again, resulting in Aura having to leave the Cabin lest she wake Lucy up from her own dreams.

Caspian, sleeping in the crew's quarters with the other men, found his own dreams quickly becoming nightmares as he once again replayed the moments of their capture by the slave traders on Narrowhaven. His dreams mostly consisted of varying scenes from Aura not being able to duck the dagger that had been thrown at her while they were fighting the traders just before being taken captive to not being able to find her before she was taken away by the man that had purchased her.

Finally, unable to fall back to sleep after snapping awake from the sight of Aura laying on the dirty ground in a pool of her own precious life's blood, the young King quietly climbed out of his hammock and made his way up to the deck to try and get some air. As he made his way out of the crew's quarters, he noticed Eustace asleep on his hammock with his diary clutched tightly in his hands, the book never far from him.

Walking out on deck, he heard the sweet sound of Aura singing softly and saw her swaying gently at the other end of the deck with Zahra curled in her arms, dressed in a diaper shirt to accommodate the warm weather. The beautiful woman had a light blue floor-length dressing gown over her equally long light blue nightie*, her long blonde hair open and fluttering lightly in the gentle night breeze.

 _"Hush now don't be scared_

 _Through this time of darkness_

 _Shadows may march_

 _Thunder may roar_

 _But peace will soon prevail_

 _Through our land_

 _This sacred land_

 _Nightmares spread confusion_

 _But stand your ground_

 _Until you've found_

 _The strength to light your way."_

For a while, he leaned against the wall and just watched as the woman slowly soothed her daughter back to sleep, repeating the song over and over each time she finished singing the last note.

"Caspian, I know you're there." Aura said almost half-an-hour later, her voice soft.

"I didn't want to disturb you, Aurelia." He explained, walking across the length of the deck and joining her at the other end. He saw Zahra had fallen asleep, though Aura didn't stop her swaying motions.

"You aren't disturbing me." Aura said reassuringly.

She moved to sit on the floor with Zahra curled against her chest, Caspian sitting down beside her. Both leaned back against the side of the ship, relatively concealed from the sight of the night watchman up in the Crow's Nest.

As with the previous nights, the two began talking, about anything and everything and nothing – Aura about her past relationship with Andrew and her inability to move on while Caspian talked about his frequent need to fend off the ladies of the court who had set their gazes on him and his crown.

Eventually, when their own exhaustion threatened to overwhelm them, they said their goodbye's and went to their separate quarters. As always their hearts were lighter than when they had first come out onto the deck for their differing reasons.

And so, things settled down for the time being, at least until the next curveball that was thrown at them. None of them realized that they would soon have a new crew member, one who had hitched a lift without their knowledge when they left on the Lone Islands…

 _Links (pinterest):_

 _*Aura 2nd lehenga set - .ca/pin/474566879478299137/_

 _*Aura nightie and dressing gown - .ca/pin/474566879469219963/_


	10. Days on the Sea

**Days on the Sea**

It was three days after they left the Lone Islands and for once, the sun was hidden by a grey cloud cover though a mild warmth was still present. Mathew was dressed in some of Caspian's spare clothes, a loose cream tunic with tan trousers and black boots, and up in the Crow's Nest keeping a look out. Lucy and Aura were mending and doing laundry respectively – Aura was once again dressed in her second lehenga set with her hair tied in a loose knot at her shoulder blades while she washed the first one, barefoot and only wearing her bindi on her forehead and her anklets with the rest of her jewelry remaining in the chest. Caspian and Drinian where at the Helm talking quietly with the King's gaze frequently straying to Aura while Zahra sat on Tavros' shoulders, the Minotaur standing with Rynelf on the opposite side of the Helm. Eustace was sitting behind several barrels and sacks, only his head being seen as he wrote furiously in his diary.

"Tavros, be careful of your horns, okay." Aura called up in reminder to the powerful Minotaur. "Zahra might grab them when you least expect it."

"Yes, Dr. Aura." Tavros replied with a nod, one hand holding on to the baby's leg to keep her from slipping.

Zahra was dressed in a long-sleeved woolen red diaper shirt, white woolen leggings and flat shoes. Overtop, she had a woolen sweater as well to ward off the chill she would feel more keenly than the adults. Her hair was tied back into two pigtails, held by red ribbons.

"Ma-ma." Zahra said, clapping her hands and smiling brightly down to the blonde sitting next to the Valiant Queen. The baby wrapped her tiny hands around the Minotaur's massive horns, enjoying the height she was given from her vantage point.

"Yes, my little Flower Queen." Aura said with a laugh, standing up with the bucket of washed clothing as she spoke with her daughter. "You be careful of Uncle Tavros' horns, little missy." She looked back at the Minotaur. "She's going to need her bottle soon. Do you want me to take her?"

Zahra laughed delightedly and clapped her hands, babbling away with the only coherent word anyone understood being 'wow'.

"No, Dr. Aura. I would like to feed her if you permit it." Tavros said, looking at the blonde hopefully.

Each of the crew members loved looking after Zahra, from feeding her to playing with her or even just holding her, something Aura was eternally grateful for as it gave her a chance to attend to her own duties. Aura was firmly taking advantage of Zahra's uncharacteristically friendly behavior for as long as it lasted.

"Sure." Aura said with a gentle smile. "Let me just put these clothes to dry then I'll get her bottle for you."

The blonde doctor made her way to the makeshift clothes line that had been created in one corner of the ship and began putting the clothes on the line to dry. Nearby, Edmund was chipping away at the fossil coating on his sword.

"It's going to look magnificent." Aura said softly, pausing in her task and looking at the partially revealed blade as Edmund held it up.

"Do they make them in a smaller size?" Reepicheep asked only half-joking, his gaze never wavering from the partially revealed elegant blade.

Edmund looked at the Mouse for a moment before turning back to the blade. Aura finished hanging the clothes up and put the basket to the side, going inside the Cabin and retrieving Zahra's bottle of milk.

"Peeving marmot. He's even more deluded than my cousin." Eustace muttered to himself, looking at the Mouse who was giving the blade in Edmund's hands his undivided attention. He turned to a sea gull that landed on the barrel in front of him. "In England, we have mouse traps for that sort of thing. Speaking of food, you don't know where I can get any, do you?"

Aura emerged from the Cabin with Zahra's bottle and joined Tavros and Rynelf by the Helm.

"Wow." Zahra said, clapping her hands delightedly at the sight of the bird as Tavros shifted her into the crook of one arm and taking the bottle that Aura handed to him.

"When she's done, just put the bottle in the basket." Aura told Tavros. "She might fall asleep, she might not. Just keep an eye out if she begins getting sleepy."

Tavros nodded in understanding and turned to look where Eustace seemed to be talking to a seagull.

"Er, why are you talking to that bird?" Tavros asked Eustace curiously while Aura walked away.

"Well, I just naturally assumed you can…" Eustace started, embarrassment flooding his face as he realized that the bird wasn't among the Talking Animals.

Aura giggled quietly as the Minotaur and Rynelf roared with laughter, the baby pausing her drinking to laugh as well before being coaxed back to her bottle.

"He's talking to birds!" Tavros roared, looking at Rynelf.

"He's mad as a loon, that one." Rynelf chuckled just as hard, patting Tavros' broad chest just above the baby.

"Yeah!" Tavros chuckled, patting Rynelf's shoulder with his free hand but accidentally hitting to hard and causing the human to nearly lose his footing and grab hold of the railing to keep from falling.

"Don't take any notice of them Eustace." Aura said gently, going down to the deck and stopping in front of the boy, holding a hand out to him. "They're just trying to have some fun."

"Yes, at my expense." Eustace growled. He looked at the tiny blonde in front of him and sneered, knocking the woman's hand away and standing up on his own. "And I don't need you to stick up for me."

"Okay." Aura said with a shrug, turning and walking away from the boy.

She caught sight of Caspian who was looking angrily at Eustace, ready to scold the boy for his rudeness. Aura stopped in front of him and gently squeezed the King's hand in reassurance.

Eustace sent one last glare at the pair and made his way off the deck, away from everyone's less than appreciative gazes for his repeated rude remarks.

"It's okay, Caspian." Aura said quietly, making him look at her. "I've had worse from patient's families at the hospital."

"It isn't right that he treat you this way." Caspian growled softly.

The two slowly walked towards a secluded corner, still keeping an eye on the happenings around them and the baby that was being fed by the massive Minotaur nearby.

"Caspian, he just wants attention." Aura informed him quietly. "From what I understand of Lucy and Edmund's stories, Eustace is used to having all the attention and now suddenly, he is getting none. Added to that, he is in a place that proves to him that everything he believed impossible was in fact real. It'll take him some time to adjust."

"Does he have to be so rude to you?" Caspian asked, accepting the blonde's explanation but not accepting the boy's rudeness.

"It's his outlet." Aura said with a shrug, hopping up and perching on the side of the ship while Caspian leaned back against it beside her. "Just let it go. He'll adjust eventually or get his comeuppance. Whichever comes first."

"All right." Caspian agreed reluctantly. "If you say you can handle him, then I will trust your judgement. But I don't have to like it."

"Anyway, do you know when we should be reaching the next island?" Aura asked, changing the subject to something else she needed to talk to him about.

"Within the next two days at most." Caspian replied, passing on what he had been told by Drinian. "Most likely within the next day, but two days at most. Why?"

"We need to restock on supplies." She said, pitching her voice even lower to be absolutely sure that only Caspian could hear her. "We have enough at regular rations for about a week or so. If we cut it to half rations, we should be able to extend that to a week longer, but no more than that. Not without causing a decline in work performance due to lack of energy and efficient nutrients."

Caspian nodded, his expression pensive as he listened to the blonde, adding her advice based on medical knowledge as well.

"What about Zahra?" He asked in concern.

"She's okay." Aura replied, smiling softly at the little girl who was now happily 'helping' Mr. Rhince with his tasks.

Tavros had quietly put Zahra's bottle in the wash basket for Aura to wash and clean properly – the blonde had asked the crew to be as careful as possible to keep Zahra's utensils (bottles, spoons etc.) separate from the rest of theirs. She explained that with Zahra being so young, the items needed to be washed and sanitized properly between each use.

"I have the formula and the food jars for her, plus the additional supplies that Mathew had ended up bringing along with him." Aura explained, not adding that she had plenty of diapers and was also breast-feeding Zahra, though it was implied.

Caspian nodded in understanding and the two fell silent, just watching Zahra's progress around the ship as she 'helped' Mathew and another crew member clean the surfaces of the ship – she was mostly babbling and playing with a damp rag while the two men worked.

Caspian and Aura were startled out of their fond observation of the baby when Eustace ran out onto the deck with a massive chef's knife in his hand.

"What is going on?" Aura asked in confusion, seeing the boy holding the knife in a rather precarious manner.

Eustace bumped into Tavros, who glared at him.

"Watch it." The Minotaur growled.

"Sorry." Eustace squeaked, running in another direction and bumping into several other crew members as well.

"Trying to run away?" Reepicheep asked mockingly, bounding across the surface of the hull and stopping by a rope and swinging around above their heads before landing on a barrel, pointing his needle-like sword at Eustace. "We're on a boat, you know."

"Look. Can't we just discuss this?" Eustace asked, wide-eyed.

All work on the ship stopped as everyone watched Eustace finally get taken to task for his abysmal behavior.

Eustace glanced at his cousins in silent request for help, but saw that he would receive none. Edmund, at the Helm, folded his arms on the railing bar and watched with an amused grin while Lucy, sitting on a barrel in a corner, just sighed and shook her head in exasperation. She knew that there was nothing she could do to stop Eustace from getting his punishment, a part of her was actually looking forward to it after everything that she and Edmund had put up with since moving in with the Scrubbs family.

Reepicheep paused for a moment, as though contemplating the request, before slicing the front of Eustace's shirt at his abdomen, revealing an orange hidden within the fabric.

"That was for stealing." The Mouse said before stabbing the orange and pulling it out from its hiding place as he said, "That was for lying." Finally, Reepicheep whacked Eustace across the face with the orange, saying, "And that was for good measure."

Eustace was seething with rage, the lack of help from his cousins combined with the smack he had received from the Mouse had him raising the knife and swinging it at Reepicheep before he realized what he was doing.

"That's the spirit!" Reepicheep exclaimed with a chuckle, swinging out of range from Eustace's blade. The Mouse somersaulted in the air above Eustace's head and landed on the barrel behind him. "We have ourselves a duel!"

Rynelf, who was closest to Zahra, swept her into his arms and adjusted her so she could see what was happening while keeping her out of the boy and the Mouse's way.

"Catch!" The Mouse called while flinging the orange at Drinian, who caught it with a smile on his face, before turning back to the boy. "Now, come on, take your best shot."

"Apparently. Eustace is getting his comeuppance first." Caspian commented, referring to Aura's comment only a short while earlier.

"Uh huh." Aura said absently, nodding without tearing her eyes away from the duel between the boy and the Mouse.

"He is going for it though, I'll give him that." Lucy said, unable to stem the amused giggles that passed her lips.

Reepicheep was using his small size to his advantage, swinging about the deck with extreme precision while Eustace lunged at him repeatedly, only to fail each time. With each lung Eustace made, Reepicheep egged him on while dodging and swinging around the boy's head.

The entire time, the crew was cheering at the sight while Zahra babbled and clapped happily, providing her own incoherent commentary with the occasional "Wow" and "Uh-oh" being heard.

"Something's different." Mathew commented ponderingly, standing on the top step adjoining the Helm.

"You see it to, huh?" Aura asked, glancing at her best friend before looking back at the duel occurring in front of them. "This is more like a training session than a duel."

"Stop flapping your wings like a drunken pelican!" Reepicheep ordered after a particularly wild swing from Eustace.

The order proved Aura's theory correct: Reepicheep was taking advantage of Eustace's own ego and using it to try and teach the boy how to fight, enabling him to survive the dangers of their voyage.

"Poise!" Reepicheep ordered, taking on a fencing stance with his sword pointed at Eustace. "Keep your blade up. Up."

Eustace glanced down at the blade in his hand before looking back at the Mouse, raising the knife up as ordered.

Once again, when Eustace lunged at Reepicheep, the Mouse dodged the blade and swung around the deck with the boy desperately trying to keep up.

"Lunge with your foot." Reepicheep said, somersaulting in the air and landing on the wooden floor. "Not your left, your right!" The Mouse ordered, swinging his blade at the corresponding calf when Eustace lunged with the wrong foot. "Come on." The Mouse scurried up the side of the ship and stood on the hull, facing Eustace. "Be nimble, be nimble. It's a dance boy, a dance."

Eustace once more began lunging at Reepicheep, though the movements were slowly becoming surer as the minutes passed. With each swing and lunge, Reepicheep provided the comments for improvement while dodging the boy's blade.

While dodging Eustace's blade, Reepicheep faltered backward and seemingly fell over the side of the ship. Eustace, eyes wide with alarm, ran to the side and looked over to try and catch sight of the Mouse, never realizing that the rest of the crew showed no sign of alarm. Reepicheep climbed onto a support beam beside the preoccupied Eustace and used his tail to tap the boy's shoulder.

Eustace whirled around to try and find the source of the tapping, never seeing the Mouse climb back onto the hull.

"And that…" Reepicheep said, aiming a remarkably powerful kick at Eustace's back and sending him flying into a collection of nearby crates. "Is that."

At the duel's end, a round of raucous cheers erupted from the crowd. The applause halted instantly at the sound of a child's scream. Everyone's eyes immediately went to Zahra in worry, only to relax when she smiled widely while Lucy went to the crate where the sound originated from.

"Look." Lucy said, looking down as a tiny hand emerged from the fallen crate.

All eyes turned to the fallen crate as a tiny little girl emerged from within, getting to her feet with a guilty expression on her face.

"Gael?" Mr. Rhince asked in disbelief, seeing his daughter on board the ship when she was supposed to be at home with her aunt. "What are you doing here?"

Gael didn't respond, only looking at her father guiltily and wondering what would happen. Mr. Rhince, seeing the hesitant look on his daughter's face, stepped towards her and pulled her into a hug, wrapping his arms around her. The crew had small smiles on their faces as they watched the father and daughter together, knowing how hard it had been for Rhince to leave Gael behind.

"Oh, the joy of parenthood." Mathew muttered, intending for his comment to be quiet but was heard in the silence that had befallen them.

In response to the comment, Aura reached out and smacked him around the back of his head, earning a soft "Ow" from the Brit while Drinian stepped forward with an expressionless look on his face. For a single moment, no-one said a word, wondering what was going to happen. Drinian was the ship's Captain, his authority was overridden only by Caspian, though rarely done so.

"Looks like we have an extra crew member." Drinian said finally, a smile stretching across his face as he held the orange out to Gael.

Gael smiled and took the orange from the Captain's outstretched hand, the mild tension diffusing the very next second.

"Welcome aboard." Lucy said invitingly to the little girl.

"Your Majesty." Gael said, giving the Monarch a small curtsy.

"Call me Lucy." Lucy said with a smile. "Come on, let's get you some food."

Gael nodded and followed the Valiant Queen towards the food stores, accepting the rationed food with a small smile.

"Come on, look lively." Rynelf called once Lucy and Gael were out of sight, handing a now sleepy Zahra back to Aura. "Back to work."

The crew returned to their tasks while Aura went into the Cabin to put Zahra down for a much needed nap. Eustace picked up the knife he had been wielding, intending to put it away now that there was no more use for it.

"Good match." Reepicheep said to him gently, sheathing his own blade. "I'll make a swordsman of you yet."

Eustace smiled bashfully, happy at the first praise he had received from someone other than his mother, before it faded and he retook his trademark haughty expression.

"Yes, well, if the playing field were a little more even, it would have been an entirely different result." Eustace said before walking away, masking his pride behind his sarcasm.

"Indeed." Reepicheep said with a quiet chuckle watching the boy walk away.

Once Zahra was finally asleep, Aura returned to the main deck while leaving the Cabin door slightly ajar, giving a gentle reminder to the crew about the sleeping baby. Just as Aura settled down to returned to the seemingly never-ending pile of laundry, Gael and Lucy emerged from the store rooms, the newest crew member looking decidedly better after finally having a proper meal – or at least as proper as could be considering they were all on rations, including Zahra.

In order to be of help on board the ship, Gael was given small tasks to carry out, mostly passing various supplies or messages between the crew members. Lucy returned to her mending while Edmund returned to working on his sword. Mathew took his shift in the Crow's Nest, Gael with him after gaining permission from her father.

Slowly, the hours passed them by as they worked in unison. As always, they managed to complete a lot of work with the lack of distraction that came in the form of a tiny, dark-haired 14-month-old baby girl. It was mid-afternoon with the sun high in the sky when Zahra finally emerged from the Cabin, rubbing her bleary eyes.

"Look who's awake." Caspian said with a gentle laugh, seeing the bleary-eyed baby try to maneuver her way around the deck.

"Up." Zahra said, finding her way to Caspian and reaching her arms out to him.

The moment Caspian lifted her into his arms, chuckling the entire time, Zahra rested her head on his broad shoulder and fell asleep once more.

"Then again, I could be wrong." Caspian said, seeing the baby fall asleep once more.

"Oh, she'll wake up eventually." Aura said with a bright grin on her face. "She's just like I was when I was her age. It used to take forever for me to wake up."

"Hopefully, she won't also get your _adventurous_ spirit." Mathew said, climbing down from the Crow's Nest with Gael clinging to his back.

"I was not that bad!" Aura exclaimed defensively, standing up with a basket of clean clothes and going to the clothes line to hang them up to dry.

"Jumping off the Astronomy Tower." Mathew said pointedly, letting Gael off his back and looking at the blonde woman. "Sky diving out of a plane without a parachute. Going into a potentially dangerous situation without backup. Need I go on?"

Like several days earlier when Aura had been listing her injuries from sparring, with each incident Mathew listed, the eyebrows of those listening climbed higher and higher.

"Okay, you have a point. I was a complete terror when I was a kid." Aura grumbled, glaring half-heartedly at Mathew. She looked at a dozing Zahra, completely oblivious to being the topic of conversation. "Zahra isn't going to be like me. She's not going to put herself in situations that will give me repeated heart attacks, she's going to be a good little girl and the opposite of what I was like when I was a kid."

"You do realize that's never gonna happen, right?" Mathew asked, looking at Aura with a raised eyebrow. "After everything you put your parents through with your antics, it's the Universe's idea of karma."

"A girl can dream." Aura said, glaring at him.

"A girl can dream, yes. But a parent? Not so much." Mathew said, expertly catching the canteen of water that Aura threw at him.

"Hey, can you and Mathew sing something?" Lucy asked curiously, changing the subject almost entirely. "With your instruments?"

"Yes, it would be nice to hear something from your world." Caspian added with a grin, absently rocking a still drowsy Zahra.

Aura and Mathew looked at each other and shrugged.

"Okay." Aura said, receiving cheers of excitement from the crew. They had all heard her sing, mostly to Zahra, and they all loved listening.

Aura went to the Cabin and retrieved the instrument case, talking quietly with Mathew as they decided what to sing. Mathew decided to play the violin while Aura sang. While Mathew tuned his violin, everyone sat around the deck. Zahra, now awake, sat on Caspian's lap as he lounged cofortable on a barrel with Lucy and Edmund on either side of him. Gael sat curled in her father's arms, the sailor sitting on the floor with his back against a barrel that Rynelf was sitting on.

Mathew began with a gentle tempo for several minutes before Aura began to sing, her voice gentle and soothing as it echoed around the deck.

 _"High is the moon tonight_

 _Hiding its guiding light_

 _High._

 _Heaven and earth do sleep_

 _Still in the dark so deep_

 _I will the darkness sweep_

 _I will the moon to flight_

 _I will the heavens bright_

 _I will the earth delight"_

The only sound on the ship was Aura singing and Mathew playing the violin accompaniment. Everyone was silent, even Zahra as they all watched, completely enraptured, as Aura moved around the ship with graceful movements, seemingly lost in the tune of her song.

 _"Open your eyes with me_

 _See paradise with me_

 _Awake and arise with me."_

Mathew increased the tempo of the violin and Aura responded according by increasing the tempo of the song.

 _"I am the dawn, I'm the new day begun_

 _I bring you the morning, I bring you the sun_

 _I hold back the night and I open the skies_

 _I give light to the world, I give sight to your eyes_

 _From the first of all time, until time is undone_

 _Forever and ever and ever and ever_

 _And I am the dawn and the sky and the sun_

 _I am one with the moon, and I am the dawn"_

Aura stopped singing as Mathew played a fast tempo violin solo for several seconds before Aura joined in once again with the final verses in a high echoing voice.

 _"I am the sky and the dawn and the sun_

 _I am the sky and the new day begun_

 _I am the sky and the dawn and the sun."_

Aura held the last note for a few seconds, drawing it out in a high soprano voice, while Mathew increased the final notes of the violin accompaniment to a rapid tempo. Both ended their final notes at the same time, sending the deck into amazed silence as everyone watched the pair.

For a single heartbeat, it was utterly silent as Mathew and Aura panted for breath before they were met with a round of thunderous applause.

"Wow." Zahra said delightedly, reaching her hands out to her mother.

"Did you like that, my little Flower Queen?" Aura asked, going to Caspian and picking Zahra up, hugging her tightly.

"Wow, Mama." Zahra said, a wide smile on her face.

"That was amazing." Caspian said, standing as well with an equally bright smile on his face. He was unaware of the gentle look in his eyes as he gazed at Aura and Zahra, noticed by those around them.

Aura blushed under his gaze, suddenly feeling shy. Unsure of how to deal with the sudden bout of uncharacteristic shyness, she focused on the baby in her arms.

"Okay, my turn to get a hug from the baby." Mathew said, taking Zahra out of Aura's arms and squeezing the baby tightly.

Zahra laughed delightedly, gripping Mathew's hair and pulling tightly.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow." Mathew moaned, feeling his dark locks get pulled at the roots.

"Okay, baby. Let's not pull your uncle's hair out." Caspian said with a chuckle, gently pulling the hair out of Zahra's grip.

Zahra responded to the denial by blowing a raspberry at the King, who laughed in response.

"Come on, baby. Let's go feed you." Aura said, taking Zahra from Mathew and going into the Cabin, closing the door behind her.

As she fed the baby, the crew returned to their individual tasks, working together to keep them moving forward towards the next Island on their Voyage.


	11. Confessions and New Words

**Chapter 10: Confessions and New Words**

The next four and a half weeks passed as normal, or as normal as it could get on a ship in a magical land with magical beings as part of its crew, except for one small detail…

… Zahra began getting incredibly fussy and clingy, refusing to let Aura and Caspian out of her sight. Thankfully, at least as far as Caspian and Aura were concerned, she continued to keep herself occupied by playing and running around the ship, 'helping' the crew members in their tasks.

They had just caught sight of a new Island and Caspian was at the bow of the ship with Drinian and Edmund discussing their possibilities. Meanwhile, Aura was pacing the deck, dressed in her first lehenga set with the dupatta tied across her chest like a sash and her hair in a messy knot at the nape of her neck. She was trying to calm a fussy Zahra who was overtired from not having had her afternoon nap. The baby was dressed in a soft, light pink sleeper that left her feet and hands open, her anklets tinkling musically on her feet.

"Shh, baby. It's okay. Go to sleep." Aura crooned softly, rocking the baby as she paced.

Zahra responded with a cry as a fresh wave of tears spilt from her large grey eyes. Aura sighed in resignation and continued rocking the baby, not able to do much else.

"Still no luck?" Caspian asked Aura sympathetically, coming down the steps and joining her on the deck.

"Nothing." Aura said with a sigh, desperation clear on her face. "She's tired, but she doesn't want to sleep. She's _over_ tired." She shook her head in resignation and looked up at Caspian. "What have you decided?"

"We're going to spend the night on shore and scour the Island in the morning." He replied.

"Who's going?" Aura asked as Zahra put her arms out to Caspian.

"Myself, Lucy, Mathew, Edmund, Reepicheep, a few crew members." Caspian started, listing those part of the landing party while taking Zahra and holding her close, tucking her head in the crook of his neck and rubbing her back. "Eustace is coming as well, and I believe Mr. Rhince is letting Gael come along as well. Do you want to come with Zahra?"

"Yeah, it might be good to give her a change of scenery." Aura replied with a sigh, rubbing her face and looking up at him. "It might be enough to help her sleep. I hope." She smiled wistfully. "Let me just grab my med-kit and a bag for her."

Caspian nodded and Aura turned, going inside the Cabin she shared with the girls to grab the makeshift medical kit as well as a small bag containing some supplies for Zahra. She emerged a few minutes later and the two, with the baby still in the King's arms, joined the rest of the landing party on the longboats. Aura, Caspian, Zahra, Lucy, Edmund and Mathew were in one with a few crew members while Reepicheep, Eustace, Drinian, Gael, Mr. Rhince and a few other crew members were in the other – a total of 15 people in the landing party including Zahra, Gael and Eustace.

"It's beautiful." Aura said with wide eyes when they reached the island, looking around at the sandy beach and the lush greenery that surrounded them.

"Tell me about it." Mathew said with an agreeing nod.

They got out of the boats and unloaded the supplies they had brought – blankets and rations of food and water. They quickly began setting up camp, hunger and tiredness driving them. Mathew and Lucy took charge of making the fire while the rest of the men gathered the firewood. Gael and Aura handed out the rations amongst the party once everyone was settled on the ground. Zahra adamantly refused to leave Caspian's hold or let Aura out of her sight, resulting in the blonde staying near the King and her daughter.

The meal was a quiet affair, aside from Zahra's mumbling and moaning while Caspian and Aura tried to put her to sleep. Finally, after finishing her food and feeding Zahra, Aura took the cranky, drowsy baby from Caspian and began walking the length of the beach while singing softly. Her voice echoed along the beach, soft and melodic.

 _"A naoidhean bhig, cluinn mo ghuth_

 _Mise ri d' thaobh, O mhaighdean bhan_

 _Ar righinn oig, fas as faic_

 _Do thir, dileas Fein_

 _A ghrian a's a ghealaich, stuir sinn_

 _Gu uair ar cliu's ar gloire_

 _Naoidhean bhig, ar righinn go_

 _Mhaighdean uashaill bhan."_

In the meantime, the rest settled down to sleep as the sun disappeared behind the horizon. They needed to get as much rest as possible before they began scouring the Island the next day.

Caspian sighed as he laid on his blanket, looking up at the night sky. He could hear the faint sounds of Aura still on the beach and singing to Zahra. After several minutes of just tossing and turning on his bedding, he gave up trying to sleep and got up, quietly making his way down to the beach.

Aura gently rubbed Zahra's back, walking back and forth along the warm, sandy beach. The toddler had finally fallen asleep halfway through the thirtieth repeat of the song, much to Aura's relief. She sat down on the sand with Zahra in her lap and leaned back, looking up at the stars in the sky. She tried to make out some of the constellations and when she couldn't recognize any of them, did the next best thing – create patterns of her own like she had done when she was a child. The stars shone so bright, like diamonds against the inky black sky that Aura couldn't help but smile at the sight.

One star caught her eye, shining brighter than the rest for a single moment before streaking across the sky. Aura sat up, careful of the sleeping bundle in her lap, and followed the star's path to someone in the distance, walking towards her.

Caspian.

"Hey, what are you doing up?" Aura asked quietly when he was within hearing range.

"I could ask you the same thing." Caspian said with a gentle smile, sitting down beside her. "I would have thought you'd be asleep the moment Zahra fell asleep."

"I would, but there's too much going on up here." Aura said with a grin, pointing to her head. "You?"

"I would, but there's too much going on up here." Caspian parroted her with a bright smile, pointing to his head.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Aura asked, shifting Zahra so that she was sleeping comfortably on the ground wrapped in the blonde's large dupatta.

"What is happening?" He asked quietly, looking at her earnestly. "Between us?"

"I don't know." Aura replied honestly, playing with a lock of her hair. It had come undone from the messy knot she had put it in, cascading around her in gentle golden curls. "But something definitely is. I can't deny that I care about you, I care about you a lot. Without even realizing it, you've helped me move on from what had happened, and you've become like a father to Zahra. I had healed from my past, but I haven't been able to move on, until I met you." She looked up at him, looking into his dark brown eyes with her own large grey ones. "At the rate we're going, I just might fall in love with you."

Caspian looked at her, a smile crossing his face.

"I'm already falling in love with you." He said softly, taking her dainty hand into one of his larger ones. "I don't know when I realized it or when it started to happen, but it already is."

"But I'm scared, Caspian." Aura admitted softly. "The last serious relationship I had, which was actually the _first_ serious relationship I had, ended with me being pregnant and him walking out and cheating on me. And what will happen when the time comes to say goodbye? One day, Zahra and I will have to leave and what will that mean for us?"

"We take it one day at a time." He said reassuringly. "And as for when you leave, I would rather have had this time with you than live with regret for the rest of my life."

Aura looked up at him and saw nothing but honesty and love in his eyes, he meant what he said that he would rather be with her for a short time than live with the regret and the 'what if'. He leaned down towards her, his gaze darting from her eyes to her lips, before closing the distance between them and covering her lips with his own in a sweet kiss.

The kiss itself was gentle, their lips moving tenderly and softly against one another. But as soon as their lips met, Aura felt a surge of passion and desire course through her, tempered only by the fact that Zahra was asleep on her lap. Not even with Andrew had she felt such emotion, such desire and passion.

They slowly pulled apart and gazed at each other, a multitude of emotions swimming in both their eyes.

"Wow." Aura whispered, licking her lips. "As far as first kisses go, that was amazing."

"Yes, it was." Caspian whispered.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and they both lay back on the sandy beach, Aura shifting slightly so that her head rested on Caspian's shoulder. They talked quietly, watching the stars twinkle above them and unaware of the passing of time.

At one point almost an hour later, they both froze and looked at Zahra when she began whimpering and stirring in her sleep. She shifted from Aura's abdomen to lay her head and upper body on Caspian's chest while her legs remained where they were. Zahra sighed and brought her thumb up to her mouth and began sucking it, falling back into her deep slumber. Caspian gently wrapped his free arm around Zahra to keep her from rolling away while she slept.

Aura gave a sigh of relief when Zahra fell back to sleep on her own and exchanged an equally relieved look with Caspian.

"Do you know the names of the stars?" Aura asked quietly, turning to look back up at the sky.

"Not these ones." Caspian admitted, his voice just as quiet. "We are a long way from home."

"Tell me about it." Aura muttered, gently patting Zahra's head absently.

Caspian glanced down at her but stayed silent, running his hand gently through her golden hair. Aura sighed softly, her eyes fluttering closed as the King's gentle motion lulled her to sleep. Caspian followed soon after, his arms around his two precious bundles.

With the entire group sleeping soundly, even if they were separated, no one noticed the invisible beings that approached their campsite and take Lucy – Aura being left alone because she had been wrapped in Caspian's arms while Gael and Zahra had been deemed 'too young'.

The next morning, the dawn sun shone brightly down on the Dawn Treader's landing party, trying to rouse them from their slumber.

Aura moaned quietly, trying to burrow her head further into Caspian's chest and escape the sun's bright rays. She could hear Zahra babbling to herself, playing with Aura's dupatta while Caspian chuckled lightly, his chest rumbling with the sound.

"Mmm. Shut up." Aura mumbled into the King's chest before turning to look at him. "Good morning."

"Morning." Caspian replied, grinning down at her. "We should get up."

"Yeah." Aura agreed, sitting up and stretching languidly.

Caspian watched as Aura got to her feet and pried her dupatta out from Zahra's tight grip. He got up as well, stretching out the kinks in his back before picking the baby up and holding her against his hip.

"We need to decide if we're going to keep our relationship between us or if we're going to let the others see." Caspian remarked, watching Aura tie her dupatta across her chest like a sash.

"What about just letting it flow the way we have over the past few weeks?" Aura suggested, running her fingers through her thick golden hair, untangling the curls before letting them fall down her back like a silken waterfall. "I'm pretty sure most of them already think there's something going on between us, if their comments were anything to go by. And it's not like we'll be able to _keep_ it a secret for very long anyway."

"True." Caspian agreed, nodding. He kissed her lightly before pulling away. "Okay, we'll let them figure it out on their own." He could see her point, with them all living in close quarters, it was not like they would be able to keep it a secret anyway. Added, Zahra was already adamant that Caspian and Aura both stay in her range of sight, which often resulted in them staying within a few feet of each other at any given time.

"Come on, let's go see if anyone else is awake." Aura said, a small blush on her face from Caspian's kiss.

The new couple made their way back to the rest of their group by the campsite, Zahra walking in between them, holding their hands tightly. They were a short distance away when both adults froze in their tracks, sensing that something was wrong. Very wrong.

Exchanging looks, Aura picked Zahra up and held her tightly with one arm while withdrawing one of her Bo Staff's from its holster on her thigh and extending it, Caspian drawing his sword and holding it up. Running their keen eyes over the group, they noticed that everyone was still fast asleep, Eustace snoring loudly enough to wake the dead.

"Caspian, footprints." Aura whispered, pointing to the indents in the sand with her Bo Staff. "Someone's been here."

Caspian nodded in understanding and silently motioned for her to stay behind him, his gaze straying to Zahra in her arms in silent explanation. Aura nodded, tightening her hold on her daughter with one arm while doing the same with the Bo Staff she was holding with her other hand.

Slowly and carefully, Caspian edged towards Edmund while Aura edged towards Mathew, keeping a keen eye on their surroundings.

"Ed." Caspian hissed, shaking Edmund urgently. "Ed, wake up."

"Mathew, get up." Aura hissed, poking the slumbering man with her Bo Staff.

"Go 'way, Aura." Mathew moaned, waving his hand halfheartedly at her and shifting away from the Bo Staff poking into his side.

"Hmm?" Edmund moaned, opening his eyes blearily and looking up at Caspian.

"Wake up." Caspian hissed, his gaze not on the younger King but on the imprints in the sand.

"Mathew, get your butt out of bed or I'm gonna pour ice water down your back." Aura threatened, poking him again.

Edmund sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and taking note of Aura waking Mathew up as well.

"Okay, okay, I'm up." Mathew said, sitting up and yawning widely.

Looking at Aura and Caspian, finally noticing where their gazes were and the urgency in their voices, Mathew and Edmund scrambled to their feet.

"Where's Lucy?" Edmund asked, noticing the empty bedroll that had previously been occupied by his younger sister.

"Lucy?" Aura called, looking around the campsite. The sound of her call rousing the others from their sleep as they sat up.

"Lucy?!" Edmund yelled, his tone bordering on panic.

"Everybody, up." Drinian hissed firmly, getting to his feet. "Get up. Get up, I say."

Within seconds, everyone was awake and alert, all thoughts of their interrupted sleep vanished. They took hold of their weapons, Mr. Rhince taking Gael's hand in his and holding firmly while holding his sword in the other. Aura, meanwhile, took her dupatta and tied it around her like a makeshift sling, securing Zahra to her chest and keeping her hands free.

"This way." Caspian said quietly, running across the beach towards an undergrowth that grew near their campsite.

Aura, Mathew, Edmund and the rest of the crew followed close behind him, eyes and ears peeled for whatever danger they might come across and weapons at the ready.

None of them realized that they were missing one of their crew - Eustace, who was still fast asleep and snoring loud enough to wake the dead.

Emerging from the undergrowth, the landing party found themselves leaving the sandy beach behind for a vast ornamental garden. They looked around their majestic surroundings for clues that would lead them to Lucy, or at least explain who or what had taken her. The beauty of the garden went unnoticed to the crew, everyone too concerned for the young Queen. The more time that passed without any sign, the more desperate Edmund began to feel, the emotions clear on his face for all to see.

"We will find her, Edmund." Mathew said gently, putting a comforting hand on the young King's shoulder.

"I hope so." Edmund whispered, his eyes darting in every direction.

Mathew squeezed Edmund's shoulder gently once more before letting go, knowing that the younger man wouldn't feel whole until his sister was safe in his arms. He knew exactly how Edmund was feeling, having felt the same during one of the many frequent attempts on Aura's life over the past few years.

Noticing a glint out of the corner of her eye, Aura turned towards it to find Lucy's dagger on the grassy ground, the blade glinting in the weak morning sunlight.

"Guys, Lucy's dagger." Aura whispered loudly, calling everyone's attention to it.

At the call, everyone whipped around to look at Aura, their gazes falling to the dagger.

"It looks like she dropped it." Mathew said, his years of working with Scotland Yard, even if it was as a Medical Examiner, taking note of the position of the blade against the grass.

Before anyone could comment on the observation or Edmund could begin worrying even more for his sister's fate, a spear was thrown seemingly from the air and landing right beside Edmund.

As more spears were thrown at the Dawn Treader's landing party, Caspian moved to stand closer to Aura and Zahra, his stance protective.

The rest of the crew whipped about, weapons raised, and tried to figure out where the spears were originating from. Mr. Rhince pushed Gael behind him while several crew members surrounded the pair protectively, watching the father's back so he could focus on protecting his daughter.

"Stop right there or perish." A deep voice growled threateningly as Caspian's sword was ripped from his hands before an invisible force hit Caspian in the face. The force of the blow toppled him over, sending him to the ground.

"Caspian!" Aura screamed, whipping around and holding her Bo Staff up threateningly, one hand around Zahra protectively.

At the sight of the King on the ground, Zahra began crying in fear, clutching a piece of Aura's blouse in her tiny fists. Aura rubbed her back soothingly with her free hand, keeping her Bo Staff held up with her other.

Before Aura could do anything, she was lifted into the air by the unseen force, Zahra being picked up with her. The baby's cries of fear became louder as Aura kicked her legs frantically, trying to land a hit on the invisible being that had a hold of her.

"Let us go!" The feisty blonde yelled, only her daughter being in her arms keeping her from swearing like she wanted to.

Without warning, Aura was tossed to the ground, though thankfully, she landed on her back which kept Zahra from being hurt. All around her, the members of the landing party were similarly being tossed around, their weapons being ripped from their hands.

"Ow." Aura growled, glaring fiercely at the air as she sat up, rubbing a screaming Zahra's back.

"Are you okay?" Caspian asked, his body tense with concern as he held his hand out to her, helping her to her feet.

"Yeah, just pissed." She growled in response.

Caspian nodded and picked up his sword while Aura picked up her Bo Staff. Both of them held the weapons at the ready, though they weren't entirely sure how useful they would be since they couldn't see their opponents.

"Guys, any ideas on what we're dealing with here?" Mathew asked with a groan, getting to his feet after having been thrown into one of the ornamental hedges.

"No idea." Mr. Rhince said; his sword had been ripped from his hands like everyone else's and he instead wrapped his arms protectively around his daughter to keep her from being injured by the unseen force that was attacking them.

"How the bloody blazes are we supposed to fight something we can't see?" Mathew asked, letting out a groan when he was punched in the stomach.

"What sort of creatures are you?" Caspian asked, deciding to go straight to the source.

"Big ones." The voice replied. "With the head of tiger and the body of a… er…"

"Different tiger." Another voice threw in.

"Yeah." Several voices echoed in unison.

"How many species of tiger does Narnia have?" Mathew asked, momentarily sidetracked.

"Now is really not the time." Caspian said, glancing at him briefly before turning back in the direction the first voice had come from.

"You don't want to mess with us." The first voice continued.

"Or what?" Edmund challenged, his voice shaking ever so slightly in fear for his sister.

"Or I'll claw you to death." The second voice threatened.

Just then, the air shimmered all around them, the occupants of the voices slowly fading into visibility.

"And I'll ram my tusks right through you." Another added, becoming completely visible.

Aura cocked her head to the side and exchanged a look with Caspian, both of them sporting a raised eyebrow. Apparently, whatever the creatures were, they had no idea they were visible to the landing party. There were about 20 or so in total, each with only a single leg and rather over-sized foot when compared to humans in general, small potbellies, long beards and crooked teeth. They were short enough that a handful of them were being carried by one or two of their kin, giving them an additional height boost that raised them roughly half a foot above the tallest crew member.

"And I'll gnash you with my teeth." Yet another added.

"And I'll bite you with my fangs." Another added. He clenched his crooked teeth. "Grrr!"

"Yeah, no." Aura said as she burst out laughing, unable to keep up with the pretense any longer especially after the growl the creature added in punctuation.

Zahra began laughing as well, though mostly in response to her mother's laughter. She didn't understand what was going on, but she could sense that the tension that had filled the air only a short while earlier was diminished, at least for the moment.

"You mean squash us with your fat bellies?" Edmund asked exasperatedly, looking at the creatures with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes!" One of the creatures said, nodding.

"Fat bellies?" Another asked, realizing what had been said and looking down in confusion.

"Tickle us with your toes?" Caspian asked, amused.

The creatures directly in front of him, two working together to carry the third, wobbled before falling and Caspian moved back to avoid getting hit with the flailing limbs. He chuckled lightly as the crew quickly regained the upper hand and had the creatures at sword point.

"What have you done with my sister, you little pip-squeak?" Edmund asked with a growl, stalking towards one of the creatures. Glare firmly planted on his face, he drew his sword and pointed it threateningly at it.

Several of the creatures gasped in fear. "Now, calm down." The creature Edmund was talking to said, his voice shaking and body trembling.

"Where is she?!" He demanded angrily, in no mood to be placated.

"You better tell him." One of the creatures urged.

"Go on, Chief, tell him." Another said.

"In the mansion." The Chief of the creatures, whom Edmund had at sword point, said.

"What mansion?" Mathew asked, looking around and seeing only the garden; his actions were mirrored by the other crew members.

There was a soft 'whooshing' sound, and everyone turned to it. To their amazement, a large mansion slowly faded into sight, nestled among the garden hedges. It was beautiful and timeless with its rising ivy vines decorating the sides and high turrets.

"I'm guessing _that_ mansion." Aura said faintly, not looking away from the building. She cocked her head to the side thoughtfully. "Is it just me, or does it kinda look like the Whitehall Home?"

"You know, now that you mention it, it kinda does." Mathew agreed, nodding.

"You know, I'm really getting tired of you all leaving me behi-." Eustace's disgruntled voice as he emerged from the undergrowth was cut off by the creatures and their exclamations of 'It's the pig!' and 'The pig has come back'. "This place just gets weirder and weirder." He muttered, looking around at the creatures, some still being held up while others were on the ground.

"Weird?" One of the creatures repeated, offended by the remark.

"Him calling us weird?" Another asked in amusement.

"Actually, I think it gets more amazing." Aura refuted just as Lucy walked up to them. The young Queen was accompanied by an elderly, regal-looking man with graying light brown hair and a short, well-groomed white beard and mustache. He was dressed in fine, flowing robes that trailed behind him as he walked and with billowing sleeves. "Lucy!" Aura cried in relief at seeing the younger girl, a smile forming on her face.

Her cry caught everyone else's attention and they all turned to where Aura was looking. Edmund gave a relieved sigh, running up to Lucy and hugging her tightly, all but ignoring the man she was with. Lucy returned the hug with equal vigor, having guessed that her disappearance in the middle of the night would not have sat well with her brother. Once the siblings parted, Lucy received similar hugs from Caspian, Aura and Mathew, even Zahra who wasn't one to be outdone by the adults.

"So, who's your friend?" Mathew asked, drawing attention to the man Lucy had been with.

"Your Majesty." The man said, bowing to the two Kings respectfully, a hand on his chest.

"Aura, Caspian, Edmund, Mathew and Zahra. This is Coriakin." Lucy introduced, shifting Zahra slightly so the toddler was perched on her hip. "It's his Island."

Edmund and Caspian both gave slight bows in response, not as deep as Coriakin's had been but enough to show the proper respect to the owner of the land they were on.

"That's what he thinks." The Chief scoffed. "You have wronged us, magician." He said, speaking directly to Coriakin.

"I have not wronged you." Coriakin tried to explain. He followed after the creatures as they hopped further away from him, the Dawn Treader's landing party watching with amusement. "I made you invisible for your own protection."

Zahra laughed delightedly at the sight of the hopping creatures. Wriggling in Lucy's arms until she was set down, she began jumping around where she was standing, trying to imitate the creatures as much as she could.

"Protection?" One of the creatures repeated with a scoff.

"That's oppressive." Another declared.

"I have not oppressed you." Coriakin said with an air of exasperation.

"But you could've, if you'd wanted to." The Chief said adamantly, hopping backwards while facing Coriakin.

Aura and Mathew exchanged looks and snorted in amusement. Caspian and Edmund sported similar expressions and their eyebrows were raised.

"Begone." Coriakin said firmly, pulling something out of his pocket and throwing it in the direction of the creatures, revealing it to be some kind of white powdery substance.

The creatures screamed and hopped away in fright amid frantic cries of 'It's a spell!'. Several members of the landing party watched them go, torn between amusement at the cries and confusion as to what the creatures were and what had just happened.

"What was that?" Lucy asked curiously.

"Lint." Coriakin replied bemusedly, walking back towards Aura, Mathew and the Kings. "But don't tell them." He said, exchanging grins with Lucy as she ushered a still jumping Zahra along.

"What were those things?" Eustace asked, intrigued by the creatures scurrying passed him.

"Dufflepuds." Coriakin replied over his shoulder.

"Right, of course. Silly me." Eustace said petulantly, assuming that everyone else had known.

"Dada!" Zahra exclaimed delightedly, jumping up to Caspian and holding her arms out for him to pick her up. Caspian and Aura stared at Zahra, jaws dropping as the King automatically lifted the toddler into his arms. "Dada." She repeated happily, snuggling against his chest contently.

"Did she just-?" Aura began faintly, staring at her daughter with wide eyes.

"Uh-huh." Caspian nodded numbly, temporarily incapable of forming actual words.

They were oblivious to the fact that behind them, Mathew, Edmund and the crew were snickering under their breaths at Caspian and Aura's reactions; after Edmund and Mathew began teaching the toddler to call Caspian 'Dada', the rest of the crew had taken to pitching in whenever she was with them. It was their hope that perhaps it would help the pair realize their growing feelings for one another as well as Caspian's behavior around her that was already paternal in nature.

Coriakin looked around at the Dawn Treader's landing party in confusion as well as at how Zahra's words were received by Caspian and Aura. Lucy, seeing the expression on Coriakin's face explained to him about Aura and Caspian, their growing feelings towards each other as well as their attempts to get the pair to realize said feelings.

"I see." Coriakin said, nodding in understanding. He cleared his throat and drew everyone's attention. "If you would follow me, please."

He turned and led the way back to the mansion. Lucy, Edmund, Mathew, Caspian and Aura followed with Eustace close behind. Drinian paused long enough to issue orders to the remaining crew members to pack up the campsite and prepare to leave before catching up with group.

"Is it all right, that she calls you that?" Aura asked hesitantly, looking up at Caspian as they followed Coriakin through the mansion's winding hallways. Her voice was soft, heard only by him even with the presence of Coriakin, Lucy, Edmund, Mathew, Eustace and Drinian around them.

"I'm honored." Caspian replied honestly, putting his arm around her shoulders and pulling her close.

Aura leaned into his embrace, feeling a sense of relief as the tension she hadn't realized she had been carrying faded from her shoulders.

"Dada." Zahra said with a happy sigh, snuggling against Caspian's chest. "Mama."

Behind them, Mathew and Edmund exchanged gleeful looks at the embrace, Drinian sporting a small smile of his own. It would seem that their plan to use Zahra to get Caspian and Aura to realize and admit their feelings was working; they were completely unaware that the couple had already professed their feelings towards each other the night before, long before Zahra called Caspian 'Dada' for the first time.

"What did you mean when you said that you made them invisible for their own good?" Lucy asked curiously, walking in front of the group with Coriakin.

"It seemed the easiest way to protect them." Coriakin replied. He sighed heavily. "From the evil."

Edmund and Mathew exchanged looks just as Caspian and Aura did. "You mean the Mist?" The Just King asked.

"I mean what lies _behind_ the Mist." Coriakin corrected, moving to the side and waving them all into the vast library.

"Wow." Aura said in amazement and wonder, looking at the enchanted ceiling and marveling at the books floating high above them. The shelves themselves reached up as high as the eye could see and the comforting scent of old leather filled the room.

"Pwetty!" Zahra said, clapping her hands delightedly. She wriggled in Caspian's hold and he set her on the ground, taking a firm hold of her hand to keep her from running off.

"Well, this is Aura's version of heaven." Mathew snarked playfully. Lucy rolled her eyes and whacked him upside the head since Aura was too far away. "Ow." He muttered, rubbing his head and inching away from the teenaged Queen.

"Thank you, Lucy." Aura said with a grin.

"You're welcome." She replied with a sweet smile.

Edmund and Mathew exchanged looks. "Sisters." They said in exasperated unison. Aura and Lucy looked at them with identical raised eyebrows, sporting decidedly unimpressed expressions. The two men quickly moved out of reach of the women's hands, lest they be hit for their comment.

As it was, Coriakin inadvertently saved the two men from facing the women's ire as he unfurled a large scroll he had picked up, letting it settle in the wide space in the middle of the room. The scroll was a map, but not like the one that had been on the Dawn Treader. No, this was something that not even computer imaging and all the tricks of the 21st Century could compete with.

The border was painted with animated illustrations of what Aura recognized from Lucy's story of the events surrounding the Pevensie siblings first visit to Narnia. The center was a 3-D rendition of the ocean with a light spattering of fluffy white clouds and a blazing sun in the sky and dotted with islands along the calm blue waters. The 3-D rendition was a perfect replica of the current condition of the ocean and the weather at that moment.

"That's quite beautiful." Eustace breathed, unable to stop himself from voicing the thought.

"Yea, it is." Mathew agreed nodding. He frowned, realizing what just happened and turned to Eustace. "Wait, what?" He asked.

He wasn't the only one looking at Eustace with incredulity. Caspian, Aura, Edmund, Lucy and Drinian were as well.

"I mean, for a make-believe map of a make-believe world." The boy amended quickly, seeing the looks he was receiving.

Zahra, mesmerized by the sight, managed to slip her hand out of Caspian's hold and crouched in front of it. She reached out and touched it, giggling delightedly at the rippling waves the water made.

"Wow." She breathed, a bright smile on her face.

"Zahra." Aura sighed exasperatedly, moving to pick her up and move her away from the map.

"It's quite all right." Coriakin reassured her. "There is the source of your troubles." He said, his tone becoming more business-like. He pointed down at the map and they all watched in amazement as the image moved and changed, the clouds rolling by and the waves of the water rippling. "Dark Island."

The map stopped moving at a rendition of an Island, one unlike anything they had encountered to date. Surrounded by a ring of dark grey fog, the Island resembled a mass of tangled tentacles or thick vines more than it did any semblance of land.

Zahra whimpered in fear and immediately ran towards Caspian and Aura, tears filling her eyes. Aura picked Zahra up and settled her on her hip, rubbing her back soothingly while Caspian wrapped one arm around them, the other drifting down to grip his sword. The couple weren't the only ones confused by her actions, the others exchanging looks at the toddler's fearful behavior.

"A place where evil lurks." Coriakin continued, answering the questioning looks he was being given at Zahra's strange behavior. Zahra whimpered again, burrowing her face against Aura's chest while reaching out and gripping Caspian's fingers tightly. "It can take any form. It can make your darkest dreams come true." Coriakin looked around to each person in front of him, his wise eyes piercing each of them as he imparted his warnings and knowledge. "It seeks to corrupt all goodness… to steal the light from this world." Caspian held Aura and Zahra closer, neither protesting and the toddler only tightening her grip on his fingers.

"How do we stop it?" Lucy asked strongly, her head held high and shoulders back as she drew on the years she had spent as the Valiant Queen during Narnia's Golden Age.

Coriakin turned and looked at her. "You must break its spell." He said. He looked to Edmund standing behind him. "That sword you carry…" He said, pointing to the blade on the Just King's hip. "There are six others."

"Have you seen them?" Edmund asked.

"Yes." Coriakin replied.

"The six Lords, they passed through here?" Caspian asked.

"Indeed." Coriakin said, turning and walking towards Caspian, Aura and Zahra.

"Where were they headed?" Aura asked, not pausing her ministrations on Zahra's back; the toddler had stopped whimpering and was no longer burrowing into Aura's chest, but she still clung to Caspian's fingers.

"Where I sent them." Coriakin said. As he moved away and off the map entirely, the scene changed as ocean rolled by. "To break the spell…" The image stopped and another Island formed. It was different from Dark Island, made from what looked like fossilized stone with lush flora and fauna winding around and through it. "You must follow the Blue Star…" Above the clouds that surrounded the Island, a small Blue Star shone merrily. "To Ramandu's Island. There, the seven swords must be laid at Aslan's Table. Only then can their true magical power be released. But beware." Coriakin warned. "You are all about to be tested."

"Tested?" Mathew and Lucy asked in unison.

"Until you lay down the seventh sword, evil has the upper hand." Coriakin said, piercing Mathew and Lucy with his penetrative gaze. "It will do everything in its power…" He looked around at the assembled group. "To tempt you. Be strong. Don't fall to temptation. To defeat the darkness out there… you must defeat the darkness inside yourself."

"And here I thought this was gonna be easy." Mathew said sarcastically.


	12. Fear-filled Stormy Nights

**Chapter 11: Fear-filled Stormy Nights**

 _'For reasons beyond my comprehension, we've taken the advice of a senile old coot who doesn't possess a razor and dawdles around in a dressing gown. So, we're back in this tub and lost in a tempest. Brilliant! Fourteen days being tossed like a pancake and not the slightest sign of land. The only consolation is, everyone is finally as miserable as I am. Except for that show-off talking rat. He's one of those annoying glass-is-always-half-full types.'_

\- Excerpt from the diary of Eustace Clarence Scrubb,

Reluctant crewmember of the Dawn Treader

Over the next two weeks, the weather, which had been warm with the occasional cloud cover, became steadily worse. It culminated in a massive storm that continued for two days and still didn't seem to have an end in sight.

"Hold!" Drinian shouted from the wheel, gripping one side while aided by two other sailors as they struggled to turn it. "Three spokes to starboard!"

"Aye-aye, sir!" One of the sailors shouted, struggling to follow the command.

"We need more pails here!" Mathew shouted, standing on the ladder that descended into the lower levels of the ship. He passed the pail he was carrying to another sailor who was on the deck before accepting a fresh pail filled with more water from the leaks in the hull that had sprung up an hour earlier.

Aura hammered down the final nail on the board to seal up the leak that was allowing sea water to rush in; she was kneeling in front of it, dressed in her third lehenga set (consisting of a spaghetti-strapped white blouse with silver embroidery and a red skirt with a light red and white hemline*). The skirt was tied around her knees to keep it out of the way while she wrapped the dupatta around her bare abdomen in an effort to ward off the chill. "Done." She said in relief, putting the hammer back in its case. "That was the last one." She tucked a stray lock of hair that had come loose from its knot at the back of her head behind her ear.

"Good. Aura, switch with me so I can go help clear the water on deck." Mathew said, already climbing out with a full pail of water.

Aura quickly secured a cloak around her neck to protect her as much as possible from the cold rain and took his place on the ladder wrung. She accepted a pail of water and passed it up to another sailor before reaching down and accepting another. Over and over, it was a repetitive motion of accepting pails filled with water and passing them up to a sailor on deck. Aura could hear the sailors who were manning the sails and the ropes, their calls of 'Heave!' getting mixed in with the sound of the storm that raged and tossed them about.

For hours, they all worked in unison, Aura and Caspian taking turns being outside with the crew and being with Zahra inside the Stern Cabin. Over the course of the two weeks that had passed, she had eventually refused going to anyone other than Caspian and Aura. While it hadn't been a big deal at first, when the weather was nice and they were able to be on deck with her as they worked, once the rain began falling and the temperature dropped, it became too dangerous for the now 16-month-old toddler to be outside. The risk of her falling sick was too great, and Aura wasn't willing to rely on Lucy's healing cordial. Mr. Rhince was of a similar mindset and had made sure Gael stayed in the King's Cabin/ Girl's Cabin with either Lucy or Aura.

It wasn't just the storm they were fighting against, but the waves that rocked them about as well. Just as they seemed to have made some headway in clearing the deck of water, a wave would splash over them and saturate everyone in with the ice-cold spray. It was the same with the leaks: just as Aura (or Cruickshanks, the crew's designated blacksmith) managed to board one up, another would start from the force of the current.

Inside the Stern Cabin, Caspian sat in the middle section of the sofa with Zahra curled up and fast asleep next to him. Dressed in a long-sleeved red diaper shirt and white leggings, she was covered with a warm blanket and had her hand curled around her bottle that she suckled at subconsciously.

"So, we're stuck here," Drinian said, placing a counter in one spot of the map that was laid open on the table. "And even with the fresh supplies that Coriakin had given us before we left his Island, we are at half-rations, with food and water for two more weeks, maximum." He and Edmund, who was standing by the table, grabbed hold of the low hanging beams above their heads to keep from falling as the ship rocked. Caspian put one hand on Zahra to prevent her from slipping while holding the armchair of the sofa with his other hand. "This is your last chance to turn back, Your Majesties." Drinian pleaded. Caspian and Edmund exchanged looks, both remaining silent and listening to the Captain. "There's no guarantee we will spot the Blue Star any time soon. Not in this storm." Caspian looked out through the rain-splattered window at the stormy grey sky, his thoughts racing. "Needle in a haystack, trying to find this Ramandu place. We could sail past it and off the edge of the world."

"Or get eaten by a sea serpent." Edmund added nervously.

Thunder rumbled and Zahra whimpered in her sleep. Caspian rubbed her back and unbound hair soothingly and she settled down once more, suckling at her bottle.

"I'm just saying the men are getting nervous." Drinian said. "These are strange seas we're sailing, the likes of which I've never seen before."

"Then perhaps, Captain, you would like to be the one to explain to Mr. Rhince that we're abandoning the search for his family." Caspian said, rising from the sofa, crossing the short distance to the table and pressing the palms of his hands on the surface as he locked eyes with Drinian; his tone was soft due to Zahra's presence, but the authority, strength and determination was clear is his soulful brown eyes and handsome face.

Drinian was stunned to speechlessness at the reminder that they weren't just on an adventure to relieve boredom, but that their Voyage had a very real reason behind it – reuniting a torn family, saving innocent people who had been taken and stopping the evil that spread from Dark Island. Yes, the men were tired, miserable and hungry. Yes, the risks were steadily getting higher, particularly for Zahra and Gael, the youngest members on board the ship, as their supplies dwindled with each passing day and the weather worsened. But no one, not a single person had actually complained about the Voyage itself. Instead, he had seen only steadfast passion, the same passion that was clear on his King's face – the passion to succeed.

"I'll get back to it." He said, bowing his head respectfully at Caspian. He grabbed his cloak off the hook it hung on and slipped it on, Edmund following suit. "Just a word of warning: the Sea can play nasty tricks on the crew's mind." Drinian added as he pulled the hood over his head. "Very nasty."

He pulled open the door only to see Aura standing on the other side with her hand raised to knock, covered with a cloak of her own to protect her from the pouring rain and crashing waves. It was clear by her expression that she had heard the conversation.

Drinian nodded to her before walking passed with Edmund in tow.

"Can I come in?" Aura asked, looking into the Cabin at Caspian.

"Of course, Aurelia." He said, still standing by the table and waving her in. She entered the Cabin and gently closed the door behind her.

Silence fell over them as Caspian watched her remove her cloak and hang it up before unwrapping the dupatta from around her abdomen and draping it over her shoulders. Aura walked towards the sofa where Zahra slept, squeezing Caspian's hand as she passed him and checked on her slumbering daughter. The toddler slept on, blissfully oblivious to the tension that had filled the Cabin only a few minutes earlier. Aura sat in the middle section next to her daughter, running her pale fingers gently through Zahra's unbound hair, watching as the curls straightened out only to spring back once free of her long fingers; her hands were no longer painted with the intricate henna patterns, the designs having faded out over the past two weeks before disappearing completely.

"You heard." Caspian stated rather then asked after several minutes, breaking the silence.

"Yeah." Aura replied honestly, turning to him. "You're doing the right thing, Caspian." She said, moving towards him and settling in the comforting circle of his arms, wrapping her own arms around his waist.

"Drinian doesn't seem to think so." He said with a soft sigh, resting his chin on her head.

"Oh, sweetie, you misunderstood what he meant." Aura said gently, pulling back slightly to look up at her handsome, dark-haired king. "He didn't mean that he didn't believe in you. Even though he is the Captain of the ship, you are the one calling the shots, you and Edmund, as the highest-ranking authority. That means he's playing the role of First Mate, which is essentially playing 'Devil's Advocate' to make sure you have all the facts, the good and the bad."

"What are your thoughts on what he had said?" Caspian asked softly, looking down at her.

"He was right." Aura said honestly. Without moving from Caspian's embrace, she pulled her hair free of the knot it had been in and ran her fingers through the thick, golden locks that now reached the back of her knees. "We are in way over our heads, we can barely see daylight. Literally. But there isn't a single person, aside from Eustace, who's complaining. At least, other than the complaints about being tired, hungry and downright miserable."

"You don't pull any punches, do you?" He asked, shaking his head with a fond smile as he looked down at her.

Most people would have told him what he wanted to hear, placated him with platitudes of how Drinian had been wrong to say what had said. However, Aura had told him what he _needed_ to hear as well as helped him realize the dual role Drinian had been playing, all without complaint.

"Caspian, I'm a doctor." She reminded him gently. "My job is to help my patients make the best possible choice they can with the hand they're dealt. And the only way to do that is to be honest with them."

"If what I have witnessed these past weeks is any indication, you must be a very good doctor." He said sincerely, a gentle smile on his face. The tension that had built in his shoulders during his meeting with Drinian and Edmund slowly faded. He had realized that their quest was near impossible but it was then, in the Cabin as he spoke to Aura, that he _accepted_ it and vowed to succeed, to reunite Mr. Rhince and sweet Gael with their family and to stop the evil spreading from Dark Island.

Aura laughed lightly. "I'm a fairly decent one." She said with sincere modesty. The laugh faded and she became serious, looking directly into Caspian's eyes, silver grey meeting chocolate brown. "Caspian, I don't know if anyone has told you this, but I'm saying it and I mean it with all my heart: I'm so proud of you. All that you have been through, all that you have achieved has made you a strong and compassionate King and I believe that your father would be as proud of you as I am."

"Do you really think so?" He asked in a quiet voice, his eyes filled with tears.

Aura shook her head silently. "I _know_ so and I _believe_ so." She corrected him, gently wiping away a tear that fell from his eye and cupping his bearded cheek. "You are the King that Narnia needs, that Narnia deserves." She leaned up and pressed her lips against his.

For a moment, Caspian was still. Then, he tightened his arms around Aura's waist, responding to her kiss and quickly took charge, running his tongue over her lips in silent plea. She opened her mouth, leaning into him as his tongue slipped in between her lips. Aura gave a quiet moan as Caspian explored her mouth with his tongue, bringing one hand up to grip his hair tightly with her fingers while pulling him close with her other arm.

A whimper cut through their haze, breaking them out of their passion-filled bubble. Caspian and Aura pulled apart and looked towards the sound, seeing Zahra frown in her sleep, another whimper escaping her pouty lips.

"The joy of parenthood?" Caspian asked hoarsely, breathing heavily.

"The joy of parenthood." Aura confirmed, her voice just as hoarse and a slight flush to her high cheeks.

The couple moved to the sofa and Caspian sat down in the middle section. Aura swept Zahra into her arms and sat down next to him, setting the toddler against her chest as they both rubbed her back soothingly; they didn't need to worry about rocking her since the storm was taking care of the quite well already.

Neither Caspian nor Aura noticed the complete disarray they were in with their mussed hair and rumpled clothing. Thankfully though, no one disturbed them, and they were left to themselves. They spent the evening together, talking about anything and everything. Once Zahra woke up from her nap, she added her own babble to the conversation between her mother and father.

The hours passed quickly and after dinner, everyone eating below deck where it slightly drier than above, the couple separated for bed. Normally, the crew would spend the downtime before turning in telling stories or singing or some other form of entertainment, but everyone was too tired from the work that they had been putting in to brave the storm since it had descended on them a few days earlier.

In the Girl's Cabin, Gael and Lucy quickly changed into their makeshift nightgowns (which had previously been large tunics that belonged to two of the crew members) before settling under the covers in their bed. Aura changed Zahra's diaper and put her in a light pink sleeper that covered everything but her head, hands and feet, her anklets tinkling musically as she was set down in her cradle and covered with her soft blanket.

The cradle had been given to them by Coriakin. It was a beautifully crafted piece, made of a deep cherry-colored wood and decorated with gold motifs depicting ancient battles from Narnia's history embossed along the sides. At the foot of the cradle was a gold lion, resting on its side but with its head up and gazing down at the bed as though watching over the occupant. High above the head of the cradle was a gold faun holding up a wreath of golden leaves from which descended a canopy of fine, gold silk draped over the sides of the cradle. Underneath the bed section, between the stands made of a darker cherry-colored wood were two golden minotaurs, one at the head and one at the foot, holding the cradle up*.

With it, they had been given fresh provisions and supplies, though mostly based around fresh beddings, diapers and powdered milk for Zahra and medical materials like silk thread and bandages.

Once Zahra was settled and suckling at a fresh bottle of milk, Aura changed into her night gown and settled on the bed next to Gael, on the side closest to the cradle while Lucy was on the other end nearest to the door. Within minutes, all the Cabin's occupants were fast asleep.

Unfortunately, their slumber wasn't as peaceful as they would have liked as they all tossed and turned in their sleep.

Aura whimpered and mumbled under her breath, her dreams filled with scenes of her and Caspian together, either alone or with Zahra, enjoying themselves before Caspian would slowly disappear or walk away. No amount of screaming for him or running after him would bring him back. Each scene started out differently, but they all ended the same way, with Aura standing alone, heartbroken.

"Caspian!" She screamed, her eyes snapping open as she shot up in bed, her golden hair spilling around her like a curtain.

"Aura, it's okay, it's just a dream." Lucy's voice slowly penetrated the fear-filled cloud that had settled over her. "It's just a dream." Lucy repeated soothingly.

Aura's heart slowly stopped racing as she took several calming breaths. She looked to her side to see that not only was Lucy awake, but Gael was as well. A cry from her other side had her whipping around to see Zahra sitting up in her cradle, rubbing her eyes as tears streamed down her face.

"Mama!" The toddler wailed, holding her arms out to her mother.

Aura quickly slipped out of the bed and picked Zahra up, whispering sweet nothings in her ear while rubbing her back and rocking her. Both of their anklets tinkled softly with each step Aura took, the musical sound soothing Zahra as well. "Did I wake you both?" She asked, looking at Lucy and Gael without pausing her ministrations.

"No." Lucy replied quietly, shaking her head. "I had a nightmare."

"Me, too." Gael said, playing with the comforter that she was curled in.

"That makes all of us, including Zahra." Aura said thoughtfully.

"Dada." Zahra whimpered, burrowing her head in Aura's chest.

"It can't be a coincidence that all of us are having nightmares." Lucy said sensibly. She slipped out of the bed. "Let's go check on the others."

Gael nodded eagerly and slipped out of the bed as well, Aura grabbing Zahra's blanket to cover the toddler's sleeper-clad form to protect her from the nighttime chill. Once satisfied that Zahra was suitably covered, Aura joined Lucy and Gael and the three of them slipped out of their Cabin.

Shivering lightly from the chill of the still-raging storm, the female crew members quickly hurried down to the crew quarters in the lower levels. Slipping between the gently swinging hammocks, each of their occupants were shifting restlessly, their dreams filled with nightmares.

"Father!" Caspian moaned, tossing and turning in his sleep. "Father… Aurelia…"

"No, wake up. Please!" Mathew moaned in his sleep. "Aura! Don't give up!"

Gael hurried to Mr. Rhince, finding him mumbling her mother's name under his breath as he tossed and turned. Aura slipped between the hammocks, stopping between Caspian and Mathew's as both men shifted restlessly. The sound of a blade singing startled her, and she whipped around, finding Edmund pointing his sword at seemingly nothing, his eyes wide and breath coming out in short pants.

"Edmund." Lucy called softly from his other side, prompting him to whip around frantically.

"Oh, Lucy." He breathed, lowering his sword and looking at her, trying to calm his racing heart.

"No!" Mathew gasped, shooting up in his hammock with wide eyes. He panted heavily, the vestiges of his nightmare still clinging to him as his bright blue orbs darted around unseeingly.

"Unca Mafew." Zahra said softly, turning in Aura's hold to look at the frantic man.

Mathew reached out and took Zahra, holding her close to his chest as he struggled to calm his racing heart. Thunder roared outside and at a particularly loud clap, Caspian snapped awake with a startled moan.

All around them, several crewmembers were similarly startled awake from a combination of their own dreams and the loud thunder.

"Gael?" Mr. Rhince asked hoarsely, looking at his daughter, Gael's tiny frame completely drowned by her makeshift nightgown.

"We can't sleep." Lucy said softly, revealing the reason they were all down in what had become the men's quarters.

"I'm gonna go on a limb here and say: bad dreams." Mathew stated rather then asked, one hand on Zahra's chest as he felt her strong, rapid heartbeat beneath him palm while he held her with his other arm.

Everyone nodded in response, a few people sleepily voicing the confirmation as well. Mr. Rhince spread his arms out to Gael, and she clambered into his hammock, curling up against his side as he held her close.

"So, either we're all going mad…" Edmund started, letting Lucy curl up next to him. "Or something's playing with our minds." He held his sister close as he leaned back in his hammock, gripping his now-sheathed sword tightly with one hand.

"Neither sounds very good." Aura muttered quietly, curling up in Caspian's arms as he laid back. The tension in her back bled away at feeling his firm chest beneath her head, hearing his heart beat a steady rhythm that synchronized with her own.

"We should try and get some sleep." Drinian said, stalling any further conversations. "We have a lot of work tomorrow if we are going to continue braving this storm."

"Seep." Zahra mumbled sleepily, already half asleep against Mathew's chest. Between one heartbeat to the next, she was out completely. Gael was similarly asleep against her father's chest, secure in the comfort of his arms.

With a spattering of light chuckles at the antics of their youngest members, oblivious to the innocence and comfort they spread with their very presence, the rest of the crew settled down to sleep. They knew it was unlikely they would be able to get any rest, but as Drinian had pointed out – they had a lot of work ahead of them come the dawn.

The next morning dawned bright and early, _too_ bright and early being the general consensus as the crew tiredly went about their daily tasks and duties. The only positive side was that the storm had finally blown over, but that didn't prevent half the people on deck from bumping into each other with no trace of the coordination they had all shown over the previous weeks. The constant clumsiness only served to fan the already burning flames of irritation, brought upon by tiredness and not at all helped by them being on half rations. Even Zahra and Gael, who had taken it upon themselves to provide entertainment and life while the adults worked, were exhausted, cranky and clingy. Reepicheep was the only one still chipper, though it was much more muted than before, mostly out of respect for his exhausted companions than anything else since he was largely unfazed by their glares.

Finally, after Lucy ended up preventing yet another argument from erupting between the crewmembers, Aura took charge with consent from Drinian and Caspian.

"I know everyone's tired and cranky." She began once she had everyone's attention, standing on the top step that led to the Helm so she could be seen by everyone and similarly see them as well. Zahra was strapped to her back with the makeshift sling fashioned out of the dupatta of her first lehenga set that she was wearing. "I have an idea that might help. Fair warning, I'm just as exhausted as all of you and my brain isn't working, so my plan is half-baked at best."

"What is your idea, Dr. Aura?" Rynelf asked around a particularly jaw-cracking yawn. High above, the midmorning sun blazed down on them all with its warm golden rays.

"I'm thinking we split into two groups and take shifts. One group will work now while the second group rests and after we've eaten lunch, we switch."

Aura's suggestion was met with mutters and thoughtful nods.

"How will we split into the groups?" Jemain asked curiously, his dark eyes filled with exhaustion and none of the innocent playfulness that previously glimmered within their depths.

"Whoever here is a parent or has had experience functioning on little to no sleep prior to this voyage, raise your hand." Aura requested in lieu of giving an actual answer, raising her own hand as she spoke. Confusion evident, several people raised their hands, including Caspian, Mathew, Mr. Rhince (with Gael clinging to his side), Reepicheep, Rynelf, Cruickshanks, Tavros and Caprius. "We will be shift one and work right now while the second group rests." Aura continued, taking note of those who had raised their hands. "The first shift will work until the sun reaches its zenith at which point, we'll break for lunch. After we've eaten, we'll switch with the second group who will work until normal dinner time."

"Does this work for everyone?" Caspian asked, looking at his exhausted crew.

"Fair warning, this means that there will be double the work for whichever group's on shift." Aura warned.

With that, the couple waited patiently while the crew, Lucy, Edmund and Mathew discussed it; it was a rather strange idea as far as the Narnians were concerned, but it had merit. The three visitors from Earth were used to shift work in some form or another and explained the benefits and downsides to the crewmembers.

"There's no harm in trying it out." Nausus said practically after several minutes of deliberating, speaking for the entire crew who gave tired nods of agreement.

The assembled crew split up, the first group returning to their duties, Gael following behind her father and eventually curling up in one corner of the deck near him while he worked. The second group meanwhile, which included Drinian, Lucy, Edmund, Nausus, PIttincream and Jemain along with several others, made their way down to their quarters.

"Well, that's one crisis averted." Caspian said softly to Aura as they both began carrying one of the many tasks that needed to be done.

"For now." Aura said, no trace of her usual optimism in her tired voice.

Caspian hummed in agreement, too tired himself to argue or even try to cheer his beloved up.

 _Links (on pinterest):_

 _*Aura's third lehenga set (white blouse with a light red and white hemline border on the skirt, embroidered with silver) – .ca/pin/474566879486051550/_

 _*Zahra's cradle (modified description within the story) – .ca/pin/823314375601564402/_


	13. New Island, New Problem

**Chapter 12: New Island, New Problem**

"Land ho!" Mathew called loudly from the Crow's Nest.

The call was met with calls of relief and excitement, even if the small bit of the approaching Island that could be seen looked barren. It had been a week since the Dawn Treader crew began having nightmares and the storm finally passing over; however, as much as working in shifts had been beneficial in the wake of their nightmares and the strain of the storm, everyone was getting restless at being stuck on the ship for weeks on end.

Caspian, Edmund and Drinian hurried to the far end of the Helm, talking quietly and looking out at the Island through the handheld telescope. On deck, Zahra ran around happily with Gael, dressed in her white dress with off-white dots and red trim that she had worn during her first few days on the ship with white shoes and her anklets. Her hair, which had grown out over the weeks they had been at sea, now reached her elbows and was pulled in two braids with red ribbons intertwined through the bottom half, tied into bows at the end. Aura watched the girls with a small smile as she did the laundry, dressed in her second lehenga set with her hair in a loose braid over her shoulder, the dupatta tied across her chest like a sash. Along with the anklets on her bare feet that she never removed, she was also wearing her bangles on her wrists and her bindi, feeling uncharacteristically homesick for some reason.

"Furl the sail, prepare to drop anchor and man the longboats." Jemain called in his mighty voice, cutting through the idle chatter that filled the air.

Immediately, the crew slipped into action, a measure of excitement filling them even if the Island didn't look like much – it was a chance to get off the boat for the first time in weeks. Though not everyone would be able to go ashore, the excitement was still tangible, and it had Zahra and Gael chattering delightedly while still remaining near their parents.

Aura put the last damp item on the clothesline to dry and turned just as Caspian came up to her.

"Will you come ashore with us or stay on the ship?" He asked softly, taking her hand in his and interlocking their fingers. "And will you bring Zahra if you come ashore?"

"Who else is going ashore?" Aura asked, setting the laundry basket in its place until it needed to be used again.

"Myself, Lucy, Edmund, Mathew, Eustace, Reepicheep, and a few other crewmembers. Mr. Rhince is letting Gael come along as well since she's still a bit clingy."

Aura hummed in acknowledgement. "Yeah, might as well come along." She said, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Getting off the ship might do us all some good."

Caspian nodded in agreement. Spending weeks on end in cramped quarters with nearly two dozen other people, including two kids, and only two bathrooms was enough to drive anyone insane.

"Dada!" Zahra cried delightedly, running up to Caspian with her arms out. Caspian beamed brightly like he always did whenever she called him that, crouching down and sweeping Zahra into his arms before straightening up again. "Mama." Zahra said with a toothy grin, looking at Aura.

"Yes, my little Flower Queen. It's Mummy and Daddy." Aura said with a soft smile, bopping Zahra on the nose lightly and earning a delighted laugh in response.

"Mama, Dada, wuvey." Zahra said, reaching up and tugging Caspian's hair with one hand while tugging Aura's braid with the other.

"Ow. We love you too, baby." Caspian said with a wince, gently prying his hair from the toddler's tight grasp. He left Aura's braid alone since it was long enough that she wasn't having her head pulled with each tug Zahra made.

"So much." Aura added, pressing a kiss to Zahra's chubby cheek.

"Caspian, Aura, the longboats are ready." Mathew called from across the deck, already climbing into one of them with Edmund, Lucy and Eustace.

"Coming!" Aura called back. She turned to Caspian, saying, "You go on with Zahra. I'll be right back with my med-kit and her bag."

Caspian nodded and with a quick kiss, the two split up. Aura hurried into the Cabin and grabbed her med-lit and a bag for Zahra that had been kept prepared for that very reason. She quickly met up with the rest of the landing party, letting Rynelf help her onto the boat next to Lucy before he slipped into the seat beside Edmund.

"And away!" Caprius called and at his signal, the longboats were lowered down into the water.

"Wow!" Zahra exclaimed, clapping and laughing delightedly, standing in the space between Aura and Caspian's knees while the blonde woman held her firmly.

"Whoa! That never gets old." Mathew commented once the boats were on the water and the rowers began rowing.

"Says the guy who throws up every time he goes on a roller coaster." Aura remarked dryly.

"I've heard about roller coasters." Lucy said before Mathew could retort. "Everyone says they're incredibly thrilling."

"Father says that they're a waste of time." Eustace pitched in.

"They're amazing." Aura said dreamily.

"How many are there by your time?" Edmund asked curiously.

"Loads." Mathew replied. "Every amusement park has at least a dozen, if not more."

"That sounds incredible." Caspian breathed, as always listening with rapt attention to the stories about his friends' native world.

"I actually found out I was pregnant because of one." Aura remarked offhandedly.

"What do you mean, Dr. Aura?" Rynelf asked curiously.

"I enjoyed the ride itself, but five seconds after getting off, I threw up." Aura replied. "It was the first time in my life I had ever thrown up because of a roller coaster so we knew something was wrong." She looked down at Zahra, a small smile forming at the sight of the happily babbling toddler between her and Caspian's legs. "Turns out, there wasn't anything _wrong_ per se; I was pregnant." What remained unsaid was the 'things went wrong _after_ '.

"I doubt the Lords stopped here, my liege." Reepicheep called from the other boat, drawing everyone's attention back on topic as the Island drew nearer. "There's no sign of anything living."

"Wigging." Zahra repeated, trying to say 'living' but not quite managing it.

"Right. Well, once we get ashore, take your men and search for food and water with Mathew." Caspian called back. "The four of us and Zahra will look for clues."

"Cyuos!" Zahra cheered happily, beaming brightly up at Caspian before returning to playing with Aura's braid.

"Hang on, you mean the _five_ of us and Zahra." Eustace pipped up. Everyone turned to look at him, identical looks of incredulity on each of their faces. "Come on, please don't send me back to the rat." He begged at seeing their expressions.

"Wat!" Zahra repeated.

"I heard that." Reepicheep called nonchalantly.

Eustace made a face at him and looked away. "Big ears." He murmured under his breath.

"I heard that too." The Mouse called exasperatedly.

"Too!" Zahra repeated happily.

Aura and Caspian looked at each other and burst out laughing, the petulant expression on Eustace's face at Reepicheep's news combined with Zahra repeating everything she heard was just priceless. Zahra looked between her parents and started laughing as well, clapping happily at the same time. It wasn't long before their laughter set everyone else off, the peals echoing off the clear, calm waters while Eustace pouted petulantly.

The laughter eventually faded to a stop as they approached the Island and pulled the boats up to the shore. As had been agreed, while Reepicheep, Mathew and the crew members unloaded the baskets and split up in pairs to search for food, Caspian, Lucy, Edmund and Aura set off in another direction, Zahra tied to Aura's chest with the makeshift sling fashioned from her dupatta.

Aura took in the scenery which was nothing but rocks that pressed against her bare feet and a few volcanic mountains coughing up puffs of smoke. It was very plain, especially when compared to the previous Islands they had stopped at.

"Look!" Caspian called after several minutes of quiet surveying save for Zahra's babbling. He hurried to an outcropping that had a rope tied around it, the end hanging down into a deep crack in the earth. "We're not the first ones on this Island."

"The Lords?" Edmund assumed.

"Could be." Caspian agreed thoughtfully, peering down into the crevice lit by only a slim ray of sunlight. He picked up a pebble and lightly dropped it into the hole, watching as it clattered down the rocky wall before disappearing from sight completely.

"There's some sort of glowing light at the very bottom." Aura said, cocking her head to the side to get a better look into the hole. She looked up at her companions, all of whom were taller than her. "What do you think could be down there?"

"Let's find out." Edmund suggested excitedly.

"Someone should stay up here in case Reepicheep or one of his men come by." Lucy suggested practically. "Or someone else for that matter."

"I'll stay, with Zahra." Aura offered. She gestured to her dupatta-turned-sling as she added, "This sling isn't exactly the safest for rock climbing."

Caspian, Lucy and Edmund nodded in agreement, seeing her point; like she had said to Reepicheep the first day she had been on board the Dawn Treader – being a Mum comes before being an explorer, or anything for that matter. And as Caspian was beginning to learn, the trade off was almost always worth it.

Slowly and carefully, Edmund climbed down the rope. Lucy, Aura and Caspian watched with trepidation, their hearts in their throats.

"I'm at the bottom!" Edmund called up.

"Be careful." Aura whispered nervously as Caspian gripped the rope.

"Promise." Caspian said with a smile, pecking her lips quickly and lightly

"Dada bye-bye." Zahra said cheerfully, waving at Caspian.

"Bye-bye." Caspian said, a soft smile on his face before beginning the climb down.

Like with Edmund, Aura and Lucy watched him descend until he was out of sight before the teenaged Queen began climbing down as well. Aura absently played with one of Zahra's braids, shifting restlessly from foot to foot as Lucy disappeared from sight as well.

Finally, after a few, very long minutes, Lucy called up, "We're at the bottom!"

"Thank Aslan." Aura breathed in relief. She looked at Zahra, the toddler grinning brightly back at her. "Now, we just have to wait for the three to come back up. And we have no way of knowing what is going on down there."

She let out a breath and removed Zahra from the dupatta before untying it and letting it drape around her shoulders. She sat down next to the rock, leaning back against the rocky edge and put Zahra in her lap, letting her play with a few of the rocks. Looking up at the sky and letting Zahra play with her bangles, Aura began singing softly to pass the time.

 _"When the cold wind is a'calling_

 _And the sky is clear and bright_

 _Misty mountains sing and beckon_

 _Lead me out into the light_

 _I will ride_

 _I will fly_

 _Chase the wind_

 _And touch the sky_

 _I will fly_

 _Chase the wind_

 _And touch the sky."_

Zahra laughed delightedly, clapping her hands in time to the song as she leaned back against Aura's chest. Aura wrapped her arms around her daughter, securing the little girl in the warmth of her mother's embrace, a warmth can never be found in the arms of anyone else. Zahra played with Aura's bangles, chiming musically in time to the song.

 _"Where dark roots hide secrets_

 _And mountains are fierce and bold_

 _Deep waters hold reflections_

 _Of times lost long ago_

 _I will hear their every story_

 _Take hold of my own dream_

 _Be as strong as the seas are stormy_

 _And proud as an eagle's scream_

 _I will ride_

 _I will fly_

 _Chase the wind_

 _And touch the sky_

 _I will fly_

 _Chase the wind_

 _And touch the sky_

 _(Na na na na_

 _Na na na na_

 _La na na na_

 _Na na na)_

 _And touch the sky_

 _Chase the wind_

 _Chase the wind_

 _Touch the sky."_

By the time she ended the song, Zahra had wriggled off of Aura's lap and was sitting beside her instead, playing with the rocks. She was trying to stack them, becoming more and more determined to succeed each time her tower fell.

"What are you doing, my little Flower Queen?" Aura asked with a light laugh.

"Towew." Zahra explained, pouting when the stack of pebbles fell over again. Her pout quickly faded, and a determined frown took its place, her tongue sticking out from between her teeth as she tried again.

Aura watched with a look of fondness and unconditional love, a smile on her face that reached her brightly glittering silver-grey eyes.

"Dada!" Zahra cried happily, looking up from the rocks with a bright, toothy smile.

Her call drew Aura's attention and she looked up to see Caspian pulling himself up and out of the crevice. She smiled happily but it faded when she noticed his expression, a mixture of guilt, sadness and shame. A similar look was on Edmund's features while Lucy just looked annoyed.

"What happened?" Aura asked, getting to her feet and brushing the dust off of her clothes. She noticed the sword Caspian was holding, a near mirror to Edmund's. "The Lord?" She asked, picking up Zahra's bag and shouldering it.

"Dead." Caspian said softly, lifting Zahra into his arms and perching her on his hip. At the same time, he handed the recently retrieved sword to Lucy so it was out of the curious toddler's reach.

"I'm sorry." Aura said quietly, slipping her small hand into his larger one. Caspian automatically interlocked their fingers as they began walking.

"He fell to temptation." Edmund revealed after several minutes of silence. "And if it hadn't been for Lucy, I would have as well."

"As would I." Caspian admitted shamefully.

"What happened?" Aura asked, looking more at Lucy than either of the men.

"There was a pool in the cavern that turned everything it touched to gold." Lucy answered quietly. "Lord Restimer had fallen in while trying to collect the water. At least, that's what we're assuming he had been trying to do."

"I see." Aura said, not needing to be told any more to draw a picture of what had likely happened.

Edmund and Lucy, who had been spending the past several months with Eustace and his parents, felt the stirrings of being cast aside while their elder brother and sister were off in America, no matter how untrue it may be. Edmund had felt it more keenly, being torn between trying to be the responsible older brother towards his sister while feeling that his every action was being criticized by his aunt, uncle and cousin. It didn't help matters that they were living through one of the worst wars of the 20th Century and often had only enough money to get them by. With access to something like the gold pool, they would be powerful enough that no one could tell them what to do or where to live.

The group walked in silence, broken only by Zahra's happy babbling as she regaled Caspian on her building attempts with the rocks and his responses. They reached the beach just as the rest of the landing party was loading the boats.

"What food were you able to find?" Aura asked once the two groups were within hearing range of each other. She looked at the baskets and saw that while each one had something different, not a single one was filled even halfway.

"It's volcanic, Dr. Aura." Mr. Rhince said apologetically, seeing the expression on her face. "Not much grows."

"We'll make it work." Caspian said determinedly, giving him an encouraging smile.

Mr. Rhince nodded, the encouragement working as his disheartened expression became more optimistic. He picked up a basket and carried it to the boats, loading it into one carefully.

"At least you managed to find another sword." Mathew said optimistically, seeing the sword Lucy was carrying.

Edmund and Caspian exchanged uneasy looks. Mathew noticed and wisely decided not to ask for the story behind the retrieval.

"Where's Eustace?" Lucy asked, looking around after noticing the distinct lack of complaining.

"I believe he's out, not helping us load the boats." Reepicheep replied dryly; even he was getting to his wits end with the boy.

"Eustace!" Lucy called loudly, thinking he was just hiding to avoid being given work to do. "Eustace!"

"Eutas!" Zahra screamed, mimicking the teenager. Caspian winced and rubbed his ear, the toddler's scream going directly to his eardrum.

"Eustace, we're leaving!" Aura shouted through cupped hands. She lowered her hands and looked at Caspian and Edmund. The volcano that loomed nearby let out a puff of steam, smoke billowing out and into the sky. "Maybe it's a 'Mum'-thing, but I've got a bad feeling." Aura said nervously.

"Me, too." Lucy admitted.

"I'll go find him." Edmund said rolling his eyes exasperatedly.

Caspian and Aura exchanged looks, seeming to have a silent conversation for several seconds. "We'll come with you." Caspian said to Edmund, gesturing to himself, Aura and Zahra.

Edmund nodded and walked back in the direction they had come from, Caspian and Aura only a few feet behind him.

They searched for over an hour, periodically screaming Eustace's name only for there to be no response. Edmund began to look worried the longer they went without finding him.

At one point, Caspian found and picked up Eustace's sweater vest, a small frown on his face. He passed the sweater to Aura who put it in her back for safekeeping.

"Eustace!" He screamed again, his voice slowly becoming hoarse.

"Eustace!" Edmund shouted, his voice in the same condition as Caspian's.

"Eutas!" Zahra shouted, thankfully not into Caspian's ear this time.

Aura, who had left the shouting to the boys and Zahra in favor of looking for clues, stopped near the edge of hill path they were walking. "Caspian, Edmund, look." She said in amazement, pointing down at the valley that stretched out below them.

It was filled with gold items, from trinkets to utensils, stretching as far as the eye could see.

"Treasure." Edmund mumbled, his gaze becoming unfocused as he stepped towards the edge and looked down at the valley.

"Trouble." Caspian corrected, looking directly at Edmund and knowing where his thoughts were going.

Edmund glanced at the King and shook his head as though clearing his thoughts and stepped back. He shot Caspian a grateful look, silently thanking him and earning a small nod in response.

"Dada, shoe!" Zahra said pointing at something down below.

Caspian, Aura and Edmund frowned and followed Zahra's finger. Edmund's heart raced as he climbed down into the rocky valley. Reaching the bottom, he ran to a familiar, brown shoe that lay innocuously next to a gold bucket. He picked it up with shaking hands, noticing the charred pattern along the top.

"Eustace." He whispered, a lump in his throat as guilt and fear warred for dominance deep inside his heart. Behind him, Aura and Caspian carefully climbed down into the valley, Zahra held securely in her father's arms. The toddler was silent, her silver-grey eyes wide. Edmund looked around the valley and ran to the pile of smoking and charred clothes. He picked them up with a shaking hand, noticing the burn pattern on the fabric. "No." He breathed in horror, seeing Eustace's diary beneath the clothes. Caspian and Aura crouched next to him, offering silent support to the grieving teenager. "Oh, cousin."

"I'm sorry." Caspian said quietly, keenly aware of the pain the younger King was feeling.

"Unca Emund." Zahra said softly, holding her arms out to the Just King.

Edmund looked at her for a moment before lifting her out of Caspian's arms and holding her close. He breathed in her scent, letting the toddler give him comfort that only a child could give.

"He was just a boy." Edmund said sadly, looking at the diary that was never far from Eustace's person. He had it in one hand while his other arm was curled around Zahra, the toddler silently watching as she comforted her pseudo-uncle. "I never should have left him." He said guiltily, placing the blame of what had happened on his shoulders as the eldest of the Pevensie/ Scrubb family.

"No, Edmund." Aura said firmly, knowing just what such a burden could do to a person. "All of us are to blame for what happened, including Eustace. We should have kept a better eye on him, especially since we know how he is. And Eustace should never have wandered off on his own."

Edmund looked at her for a long moment, seeing the adamance of not letting him blame himself in her silver-grey eyes. "What could have happened to him?" He wondered aloud, looking back at the charred remains of Eustace's clothing.

"In this place? Anything." Caspian replied, looking around the valley. "And he wasn't the first." He rose to his feet, moving away from Edmund, Aura and Zahra. They watched as he approached a nearby skeleton propped up against the rocky wall of the valley. "It's Lord Octesian." Caspian looked around the immediate area surrounding the skeleton. "We should find his…" He trailed off when he noticed Edmund carefully picking up a sword from amid a pile of gold with one hand, keeping a firm grip on Zahra with his other arm. "Sword." He finished as Edmund handed the sheathed blade to Aura to keep it away from Zahra's undoubtedly curious hands.

"Let's get out of here." Aura said quietly, an uneasy feeling building in her gut the longer they stayed. "This valley is giving me a bad feeling."

Edmund and Caspian nodded in agreement. The trio plus toddler carefully climbed out of the valley and began the trek back to the beach. They walked in silence, all of them lost in their thoughts, even Zahra remaining quiet. Edmund had her perched on his hip, taking in her comforting weight in his arms.

"Edmund?" Aura asked after a while, breaking the silence.

"Hmm?"

"What happens to us on Earth, if we die here?"

At the question, Caspian looked at Edmund curiously as well. "No idea." The Just King replied. "Guess we'll find out when we're sent back." He said with a heavy sigh.

"We need to break the news to Lucy." Aura said softly as they approached the beach.

"Yeah." Edmund agreed quietly, not looking forward to telling his sister that they're cousin was gone.

"I will tell her." Caspian offered, wanting to ease some of the weight on the younger King's shoulders.

Edmund nodded in agreement, shooting the older man a grateful look. Caspian reached out and put a comforting hand on his shoulder as Aura hurried to the longboat.

"Dada, dwagon!" Zahra exclaimed cheerfully, pointing up at the sky behind Caspian and Edmund.

The two men turned and sure enough, a massive dragon was flying towards them. Both Kings ducked, Edmund curling around Zahra protectively as the orange-toned dragon flew over them.

"Aurelia!" Caspian screamed in warning as the dragon approached her.

"Mama!" Zahra screamed.

Aura turned at the sound of the shouts only to gasp in shock as she felt a massive paw curl around her slim waist, the grip firm yet not breaking her delicate skin. She screamed as she was lifted clean off the ground, Lord Octesian's sword and Zahra's bag slipping from her hands and landing next to the boat.

"Let me go!" She screamed, hitting her curled fists against the paw curled around her and the arm attached to it. The dragon grunted, its wings flapping powerfully as they flew over the glistening waters. Realizing what was below them and just how high up they were, her eyes widened in alarm. "On second thought, don't let me go!" She screamed. She may be a good swimmer and equally good diver, but with the height they were at and the angle she was being held in, she was more likely to break every bone in her body as soon as she hit the water instead of being able to swim.

The dragon flew over the Dawn Treader, the ship's crew staring in wide-eyed horror at Aura's tiny form in the creature's massive paw.

"Aura!" Mathew yelled, standing at the Helm with Lucy and Gael.

"Mathew!" Aura screamed. "Mathew!" The dragon swung around the ship's mast and headed back towards the Island, leaving the crew to shout after her. It flew Aura over the mountains and the intertwining valleys, the sudden turns and dips making Aura groan involuntarily. "I think I'm gonna be sick." She moaned dizzily.

Without warning, it dove through the plumes of rising smoke, causing Aura to cough involuntarily at the sudden blast of hot air that hit her. The dragon roared and gestured to something on the ground and Aura looked down. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped in complete shock.

There, writing in large, flaming letters was a message. It consisted of only three words.

'I AM EUSTACE.'

Aura looked up at the dragon and then back down to the message, repeating the action several times as she tried to comprehend it.

"Are you serious?!" She finally managed to exclaim once she had found her voice. The dragon nodded in response. "Well, at least you can understand what's being said." Aura commented practically. She shook her head and sighed. "Can you take me back to the beach. We need to let the others know what's going on."

Eustace just turned around and flew them back through the valleys and mountains, landing quietly on the rocky ground of the beach five minutes later. He gently let go of Aura who stumbled for a few seconds before falling face-first on the ground with a groan. She rolled over onto her back, waving her hand in reassuringly at Eustace when he prodded her carefully with his claw.

"I'm okay." Aura mumbled, letting her hand drop down on the ground beside her. "Just a little woozy."

"Aurelia!"

"Aura!"

"Aura!"

"Mama!"

The shouts came from two different directions, from the water as Mathew, Lucy, Drinian, Mr. Rhince, Gael, Jemain and a few crewmembers frantically rowed to shore and from the valley as Edmund and Caspian ran towards her with Zahra. The separate groups congregated on the beach, all of them drawing their weapons on the dragon. Thankfully, with Aura in front of him, no one made a move for fear of accidentally harming her.

"It's okay!" She called loudly, getting to her feet. She stumbled for a second before finding her footing and looking at the group. "I'm okay!"

"Aurelia, slowly move away from the dragon." Caspian said calmly, only the tight grip he had on his sword belying his emotions. He shifted slightly so he was in front of Edmund who was holding Zahra, the little girl's eyes wide with fear.

"The dragon's not a dragon!" Aura said quickly before anyone could launch an attack. "It's Eustace!"

The group as a whole stared at her in shock for several moments before turning to look at the boy-turned-dragon.

Edmund was the first to find his voice. "You have got to be joking." He breathed in disbelief, staring at his cousin with wide eyes.

Mathew bypassed the dragon entirely, running forward and sweeping Aura into a tight hug. "Regardless, I'm just glad you're okay!" He breathed in relief, pulling back and running his eyes over her from head to toe. Not seeing any signs of trauma or injury, he stepped back completely. Aura turned and went to Caspian, easily slipping into his arms as he hugged her tightly in relief.

"Mama, Eutas?" Zahra asked, looking around curiously and not seeing the boy they had been searching for.

"Eustace is a dragon now." Aura said with a sigh, holding her arms out to Edmund and he passed the toddler over. She hugged the girl tightly before perching her on her hip, Caspian putting his arm around her shoulders and holding them both close to his side.

"Dwagon?" The toddler repeated, cocking her head to the side. She turned and looked up at the massive dragon, her silver-grey eyes now sparkling with curiosity rather than fear.

"He must have been tempted by the treasure." Edmund commented as Eustace tried to remove the gold cuff attached to his right arm, with little success.

"Anyone knows a dragon's treasure is enchanted." Caspian said as though it was common knowledge.

"I didn't know that." Aura said as Eustace growled at the King.

"Me neither." Mathew added.

"Well, anyone from… here." Caspian amended.

Lucy rolled her eyes exasperatedly and went to Eustace. Slowly and carefully, she reached out and grasped the cuff attached to his arm and pulled firmly. He roared loudly as soon as he was free from its tight grip, shaking his paw out as blood flowed properly through the limb once more.

"Is there any way to change him back?" Edmund asked, looking at Caspian.

"Not that I know of." Caspian said apologetically, shaking his head. "Drinian?" He asked, turning to his Captain.

Drinian shook his head in response. Eustace whimpered at the response, his large, glassy blue eyes swirling with emotion.

"Maybe the enchantment will fade with time?" Aura suggested optimistically, absently tightening her grip on Zahra when she began wriggling in her arms in an effort to get down.

"Or maybe he'll turn back if and when we return to Earth." Mathew added helpfully. He looked at Lucy and Edmund, adding, "I mean, you guys de-aged 15 years, maybe Eustace'll de-dragon."

"Aunt Alberta will not be pleased if we go back with a dragon instead of a boy." Edmund groaned.

"Mama, dwagon!" Zahra exclaimed, tugging on Aura's ear to get the older woman's attention. "Dwagon Eutas!" She wriggled in Aura's arms, trying to be let down.

"Fine, you can got play with Eustace." Aura said exasperatedly, setting Zahra on the ground. The toddler wasted no time running to Eustace and climbing onto one of his mighty paws.

"I wonder where she gets _that_ from?" Mathew said sarcastically, looking pointedly at Caspian and Aura.

Over the past few weeks, he had been regaled with stories regarding the young King, his curious and explorative nature. It was so different from Telmarines as a whole, who tended to shy away from the ocean because of the ancient tales that said Aslan would come from the sea. The behavior was just one of the many things Aura and Caspian had in common, another being their daredevil attitudes that sent everyone around them into frenzied panic attacks.

Aura and Caspian glared at him for the comment. Aura picked up a rock and threw it at Mathew's head, the blue-eyed Brit laughing and ducking expertly.

"Is Zahra the only one unconcerned by our situation?" Jemain asked before Mathew could further infuriate the feisty blonde. He looked at Zahra who was now happily climbing onto Eustace's paw before jumping off with a delighted laugh, only to climb back on and repeat the process.

"Yes." Caspian and Aura said in unison, both sporting expressions of fond exasperation.

"Sorry about the hand, old boy." Reepicheep said apologetically. "I can be a little overzealous at times." He explained sheepishly.

Eustace growled softly and bowed his head to the Mouse, trying to show that he accepted the apology. Reepicheep smiled, understanding what he was saying.

"The boats are ready, Sire." Jemain called loudly.

"We can't leave him alone." Aura said adamantly, thinking of what she would do if it had been Zahra in Eustace's position. Lucy and Edmund nodded in agreement, after coming so close to losing him and actually thinking him dead, they weren't about to let their cousin out of their sight. No matter how annoying he had been.

"Well we can't bring him on board." Drinian countered, thinking of the entire crew and the ship itself that wouldn't be able to carry a 10-tonne dragon.

Eustace keened quietly, his head bowed. If only he hadn't wandered away from the group, if only he had _listened_ when he was told something, if only….

"Drinian, you and the others take one boat back." Caspian ordered, passing Lord Octesian's sword to the Captain. "The rest of us will stay here till morning and… work out what to do."

"But you have no provisions except for what is in Zahra's bag, and no means of staying warm, Your Majesty." Mr. Rhince pointed out worriedly.

Eustace curled his hand around Zahra protectively before letting out a large ball of flame at a nearby dry log. It lit up immediately, crackling merrily.

"Wow!" Zahra exclaimed, clapping excitedly.

"You were saying?" Reepicheep asked, looking up at the sailor.

Everyone started laughing, Eustace sporting a bright, proud grin. Maybe he wasn't so useless after all.

Drinian acquiesced, albeit reluctantly, and returned to the ship with his men while Mr. Rhince, Gael, Caspian, Aura, Zahra, Mathew, Edmund and Lucy stayed with Eustace. Aura took Zahra and moved away slightly so she could change her diaper while the others set up camp, the dragon building a better fire with Gael and Lucy.

"I've never seen these constellations before." Edmund said quietly, laying back on his bedding and looking up at the now completely darkened sky. It was studded with tiny silvery white stars, glittering beautifully against the midnight blue canvas.

"Me neither." Mathew agreed, sitting next to the teenaged King on their shared bedding.

"We're a long way from home." Caspian said softly. "When I was a boy, I used to imagine sailing to the end of the world. Finding my father there."

"Maybe you will." Aura said optimistically, laying on her side next to him and gently patting Zahra as she suckled her milk bottle.

Across from them, on the other side of the fire, Reepicheep sat with Eustace, talking quietly to the boy-turned-dragon and comforting him.

"I miss my Mummy." Gael said quietly, looking at her pendant necklace that had a drawing of her mother.

"I miss mine, too." Lucy said comfortingly.

"Me, too." Aura said quietly.

"What happened to them?" Edmund asked curiously, sitting up and looking over at Aura. "Every time you talk about your family, you differentiate between your parents and your birth-parents."

Aura was quiet for several minutes, looking down at Zahra and running her fingers through the toddler's dark curls; she had untied the braids after changing her diaper and getting her ready for bed. "They were murdered when I was a kid." She said finally. She laughed dryly and shook her head, leaning into Caspian's embrace when he put his arm around her comfortingly. "Killed by a desperate man, all for the sake of a few baubles my mother had been wearing and the money my father had in his wallet. Afterwards, my father's brother and his wife took me in and raised me as their own alongside their own children, who eventually became my siblings rather than my cousins." She smiled sadly, her eyes filled with the pain of loss. "Not once, in all the years that they raised me, did they let me feel the loss of my birth-parents or make me feel as though I wasn't their child. But they died last year." Aura sighed, shaking her head and looking at Gael. She smiled reassuringly at the little girl. "Anyway, my sob story aside, you will see your mother again, Gael. Don't worry."

"How do you know?" Gael asked.

"You just have to have faith about these things." Lucy said wisely. "Aslan will help us."

"But Aslan couldn't stop her from being taken." Gael pointed out; the words spoken in innocence yet showing the telltale signs of shaken belief.

"We'll find her. I promise." Caspian vowed, looking at the little girl who showed more courage and strength than most children did at her age.

Gael looked at him for a long moment and Caspian met her gaze steadily. Seeing the same determination in his brown eyes that was in his voice, Gael nodded silently.

"Get some sleep." Aura said softly.

"Can you sing something?" Lucy asked, turning on her side and looking at Aura.

Aura smiled and nodded. Opening her mouth, she began to sing a gentle and soothing song, a lullaby that she often sang to Zahra during the long nights when she had been colicky, or just restless.

 _"Come stop your crying_  
 _It will be all right_  
 _Just take my hand_

 _Hold it tight_  
 _I will protect you_  
 _from all around you_  
 _I will be here_  
 _Don't you cry_

 _For one so small,_  
 _you seem so strong_  
 _My arms will hold you,_  
 _keep you safe and warm_  
 _This bond between us_  
 _Can't be broken_  
 _I will be here_  
 _Don't you cry_

 _'Cause you'll be in my heart_  
 _Yes, you'll be in my heart_  
 _From this day on_  
 _Now and forever more_

 _You'll be in my heart_  
 _No matter what they say_  
 _You'll be here in my heart, always."_

Slowly, everyone settled back in their beddings and let the sweet song wash over them, letting themselves drift closer towards sleep. The tears that had silently fell from Eustace's eyes dried as he rested his mighty head on his forearms, Reepicheep curling up next to him in silent support. Gael curled up on her side next to Lucy, feeling the first stirrings of renewed hope blooming in her heart.

 _"Why can't they understand_  
 _the way we feel_  
 _They just don't trust_  
 _what they can't explain_  
 _I know we're different but,_  
 _deep inside us_  
 _We're not that different at all_

 _And you'll be in my heart_  
 _Yes, you'll be in my heart_  
 _From this day on_  
 _Now and forever more_

 _Don't listen to them_  
 _'Cause what do they know_  
 _We need each other,_  
 _to have, to hold_  
 _They'll see in time_  
 _I know_

 _When destiny calls you_  
 _You must be strong_  
 _I may not be with you_  
 _But you've got to hold on_  
 _They'll see in time_  
 _I know_  
 _We'll show them together_

 _'Cause you'll be in my heart_  
 _Yes, you'll be in my heart_  
 _From this day on,_  
 _Now and forever more_

 _Oh, you'll be in my heart_  
 _No matter what they say_  
 _You'll be in my heart, always_  
 _Always."_

By the time she had sung the last note, everyone was fast asleep. Aura smiled and laid back on her bedding, Zahra curled between her and Caspian. Between one heartbeat to the next, the feisty blonde woman was asleep as well.


End file.
